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The Threshing Floor of God

November 3, 2024
A typical threshing floor equivalent to that used in Biblical times

Introduction

The “Threshing Floor” is employed by God as a figure to represent the great spiritual separation/division that will occur at the Great Harvest of souls at the end of the world on JUDGMENT DAY.

This post is an excerpt from the much longer exposition on the Book of Ruth. The term “threshing floor” is found in multiple places in the Bible. A threshing floor is a flat place, generally circular in shape, set apart to be used at harvest time to separate the desired harvested material (wheat or barley corn) from the undesired material (“chaff” in the original Hebrew, מֹץ (mōṣ)H4671, meaning that which is winnowed/threshed by the wind and taken away by the wind). It involves the work of winnowing, the separating “barley from the chaff”, which involved the use of a fan in one’s hand(s), by throwing up the mixture of the collected harvest material into the air where the wind carries away the unwanted and inedible chaff, while the desired wheat or barley drops to the floor for collection into heaps and then storage vessels, usually placed in a “barn” (which the Bible also refers to as a “garner” or “storehouse”). Threshing floors are generally located on hilltops where the wind blows most consistently to facilitate the process of separation, perhaps the most famous of which is the threshing floor of Onan, the Jebusite, upon which the Temple in Jerusalem was built by King Solomon.

The Threshing Floor is the means by which the desired harvested material (wheat or barley corn) is separated from the accompanying unwanted useless material (the chaff). The wheat spiritually represents the saints who are taken up to Heaven, and the chaff spiritually represents the unsaved (“ungodly”) who will be assigned to Hell. But how can we be sure that this is really the correct interpretation?

Biblical References to the “Threshing Floor”

Several verses in the Bible speak of the “threshing floor” and provide insights on what it means from a spiritual perspective.

In Isaiah 41:13-17 we read, “For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, [and] ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, H1350, the Holy One of Israel.(Note: It is particularly significant that the word “redeemer” is found together within the same context of threshing that we find in the Book of Ruth.) Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat [them] small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, [and] shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel. [When] the poor and needy seek water, and [there is] none, [and] their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.”  

In Matthew 3:12, we read where John the Baptist was proclaiming Jesus and the future, “Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he (Jesus) will throughly purge his floor (the threshing floor), and gather his wheat into the garner; but he (Jesus) will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” This is also in Luke 3:17, “Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor (the threshing floor), and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.”

The Chaff Represents the Unsaved, the Wicked  

We are clearly being told that on Judgment Day, Jesus will separate the harvest of souls, the believers who constitute the eternal Israel represented by the “wheat/corn”, from the “chaff”, the unbelievers, the reprobates, the wicked.  The “wheat/corn”, the saved, will go into Jesus’s garner/harvest house/barn, while the “chaff”, the unsaved of humanity, will be taken away and burned for an eternity in Hell. This is not an easy fact to read or to tell, but it is the truth nonetheless.

We should also note that this judgment separation was also mentioned back in the Old Testament in Hosea 13:3, “Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff [that] is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.“

God makes this clear in Psalm 1:4, “The ungodly [are] not so: but [are] like the chaff which the wind driveth away.” and in Psalm 35:5, “Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase [them].”

Job 21:17&17, “How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and [how oft] cometh their destruction upon them! [God] distributeth sorrows in his anger. They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.“

Another indication of the Threshing Floor being equated to God’s Judgment is found in 2 Samuel 6:6&7, “¶And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth [his hand] to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook [it]. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for [his] error; and there he died by the ark of God.“

In a prophetic promise to the eternal Israel that will vanquish the nations of the enemies of God, we are told in Micah 4:12&13, “But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.“

Remember what we are also told in Malachi 4:1, “¶For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.”

It is also notable that in Isaiah 30:18, we read of God’s Graciousness to His People, “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD [is] a God of judgment: blessed [are] all they that wait for him.” and then a few verses later in Isaiah 30:24, we read of one of the blessings being, “The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.” The winnowing with the shovel and the fan takes place at the threshing floor.

Jeremiah 51:33, “For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon [is] like a threshingfloor, [it is] time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.”

Please note that while this verse might only seem to be speaking of a temporal blessing, it also has a spiritual implication as we know from both 1 Corinthians 9:9, “For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?” and 1 Timothy 5:18, “For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer [is] worthy of his reward.” These two verses refer back to Deuteronomy 25:4, which states, “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out [the] corn.” But the Apostle Paul was expounding on the spiritual meaning that the preachers of the Gospel (“elders that rule“) should also be partakers of that same spiritual food, which that preacher is helping to make available to the flock (as well as the flock being supportive of the preacher’s temporal carnal needs). This is made more clear in these verses: 1 Corinthians 9:11, “If we have sown unto you spiritual things, [is it] a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?” and 1 Corinthians 9:14, “Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.”

The Threshing Floor of Boaz in the Book of Ruth

It was on the threshing floor of Boaz that Ruth made her petition for redemption (by marriage to Boaz) in Ruth Chapter 3, “And now [is] not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor.” As a result of that marriage, Ruth and Boaz became the great grandparents of King David and joined in the earthy ancestral genealogical line of Jesus Christ via Mary. (Please see Jesus’ Earthly Ancestry)

Naomi, Ruth’s widowed mother-in-law, had instructed Ruth to go to Boaz at his threshing floor because she understood the timing of the barley harvest, and what was involved with preparing the grain for storage. She knew, likely from Ruth, that the harvesting had been completed and therefore that the work of winnowing the barley was underway. 

The Threshing Floor of Ornan (Araunah), The Jebusite

There is another Threshing Floor mentioned in the Bible that we need to consider within this study of Ruth, and it is located a mere 6 miles from Bethlehem.  It is known as the “threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite”.  

NOTE: In 2 Samuel 24:16 Ornan is called “Araunah”(identified “[as] a king” in 2 Samuel 24:23). In 2 Samuel 24:15-18, we read about this threshing floor as a place where God’s Angel of Death was stayed, which serves as a picture of God’s intercession on behalf of His Elect people through the Atoning Sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon this exact spot on Mount Moriah. “¶So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men. And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite. ¶And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house. ¶And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.” This another Messianic reference to Jesus stepping in, and laying down His life, on behalf of His sheep at the Threshing Floor of God. See also this post on “The Good Shepherd“.

This was the precise location where the Temple of God was built in Jersusalem by Solomon as we read in 2 Chronicles 3:1, “Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where [the LORD] appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.” That, alone,is extremely significant!  However, there were four very significant other events in the Bible that occurred at that precise location on Mount Moriah, one approximately 1000 years earlier, and then another most important one approximately 1000 years later.

  1. Mount Moriah, where the Threshing Floor of Ornan was later installed and that subsequently became the Temple Mount, was the location where Abraham went to sacrifice his only begotten son (of his wife Sarah) Isaac! In Genesis 22:2 we read where God instructs Abraham, “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only [son] Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”  and Genesis 22:14  tells us, “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said [to] this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.” And it was on this very location that Abraham prophesied in Genesis 22:8, “And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.“ This was the first prefigurement of the Atoning Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, The Lamb of God, Who would come to be the burnt offering 2000 years later.
  2. One thousand years after Abraham and Isaac, king David sinned in numbering the people of Israel and brought about a plague upon the people as we read in 1 Chronicles 21:14&15, “So the LORD sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men. And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.” We next read in 1 Chronicles 21:16&17, “¶And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the LORD stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders [of Israel, who were] clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.” Whereupon next in 1 Chronicles 21:17, we read how David offered himself to be a stand-in for “the sheep”, “And David said unto God, [Is it] not I [that] commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but [as for] these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O LORD my God, be on me, and on my father’s house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.” King David was subsequently told to erect an altar to God on that threshing floor in 1 Chronicles 21:18-25, “Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat. And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with [his] face to the ground. Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of [this] threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people. And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do [that which is] good in his eyes: lo, I give [thee] the oxen [also] for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all. And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which [is] thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost. So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. What is most significant is that it was at this very location, that Christ would later separate the redeemed spiritual wheat (believers) and the unsaved spiritual chaff (unbelievers) at the cross. Interestingly, David paying 600 shekels of gold (the number 6 X 10 X 10 points to the “full price” of The Savior’s atoning work, please see the post on The Meaning of Numbers in the Bible)! Then in 1 Chronicles 21:26&27, “And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering. ¶And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.” Finally, we read in 1 Chronicles 21:28, “At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.”  We should also note that the above information is also referenced in 2 Samuel 24:25 where we read, “And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.”  These verses are telling us that spiritually, David, who is being used by God as an allegorical “Type” to provide the second prefigurement of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who Is the One Who built the altar of Sacrifice at this very same location, where Jesus offered Himself on Mount Moriah to be The Burnt Offering and Peace Offering for the sins of mankind descended from Adam, and Which intreated the Lord and stayed the plague as declared in Romans 6:23“For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” And as we also know from 1 Corinthians 15:22 “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.“
  3. One thousand years later, in 33 AD, the two previous prefigurement “shadow of things to come“(Colossians 2:17 and Hebrews 10:1) were fulfilled in substance with Jesus Christ’s Atoning Sacrifice that began in the nearby Garden of Gethsemane (which lies directly across from Mount Moriah on the other side of the Brook Kidron), and then, within the gates of Jerusalem, and continued to suffer, and later ultimately die outside the gates of Jerusalem on nearby Golgotha hill. Is it not interesting that after purchasing the 1) threshing floor, 2) the sacrifice, and 3) the place, we read that, “At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.” Subsequently, in 1 Chronicles 22:1, with regard to the “place”, “Then David said, This [is] the house of the LORD God, and this [is] the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.  Jesus was the Sacrificial Lamb of God for the true eternal Israel and Mount Moriah was the place of that burnt offering to God!  By being the Mediator and laying down His Life, Jesus Christ saved God’s sheep and also turned aside the sword of the destroying Angel by His Sacrifice. It is all the more clear how the imagery of “the threshing floor” brings to mind that it is a place of separation, or division, between the desired (barely or wheat) and the worthless chaff.  A division that is identical to the ones described in Jesus’ Parables of the wheat and the tares and the sheep and the goats.

Conclusion

God has provided numerous allegorical, metaphorical, “Typological” references in the Bible, which make a clear distinction/division/separation between 1) His chosen people (the elect of God, chosen by Grace before the foundations of this creation, and saved by the redemptive atoning blood of the Lord Jesus Christ), and 2) the unsaved of the world who remain dead in trespasses and sins. It is a hard reality to comprehend and accept, because it entirely supersedes the assumed will of man in determining his or her own fate (but which is nonetheless made clear in Romans Chapter 9).

The “Threshing Floor” is one of the many allegorical figures that God has used in the Bible to serve as a reference to Judgment Day, when this Great Division of souls will take place.

We know that Jesus will return on Judgment Day at the end of this world, and Jesus said explicitly, “the harvest is the end of the world;” according to Matthew 13:39, at a time when the world will be ready to be reaped, and there will be a great harvest of souls, and all those who are to be saved will have been saved and taken up into Heaven, and contrariwise the wicked will be Judged guilty and cast into Hell. Jesus said in Matthew 13:39 when explaining to His disciples the meaning of the “Parable of the Tares of the Field” that, “The enemy that sowed them (the tares) is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.” For more on this, please see again the “Parable of the Sower.“

The final message remains consistently the same. The Great Division of all Mankind, between all those who have ever lived, and ever will live, will take place at the end of this world on Judgment Day. Judgment Day is when the harvest of souls occurs. One part of mankind (represented by the wheat) will enter into the Great Harvest Home of Heaven because those people will have The Lord Jesus Christ’s Righteousness imputed to them, while the other part of mankind (represented by the chaff) will stand naked before God in their unredeemed sinful state and be cast into the fires of Hell for Eternity.

The “Book of Remembrance“

Malachi 3:16-18, “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard [it], and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.“

The “Book of Remembrance” can readily be compared with the Lamb’s (Jesus’) “Book of Life“, of which there are several mentions of in the New Testament… with these three being just a sample:

  1. Revelation 20:12, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the] book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.“
  2. Revelation 20:15, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
  3. Revelation 21:27, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.“

Are you ready? If you are not ready, it may still be possible for you to cry out to God for mercy through the Person and Atoning Sacrificial Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, such that He might show mercy to you before that Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, Judgment Day. The Lord Jesus Christ is mankind’s ONLY Hope, and The ONLY Means of salvation from God’s just penalty for our sins. There is only one alternative, and that is to spend an eternity in Hell.

Appendix: Additional Background on the Threshing Floor of Ornan the Jebusite

While Ornan the Jebusite, who we read about in 1 Chronicles 21, seems to have been an honorable man, by showing his willingness to do obeisance to king David, and to freely give away his threshing floor to king David. Subsequently, he also did meet David’s request to him to sell his threshing floor, and surrounding place, along with the sacrifice, and the threshing instruments for wood. We also read that Ornan was even called “a king” in 2 Samuel 24:23.

However, the Bible has a few other thing to say about the Jebusites:

  1. They are all descended from Noah’s grandson Canaan, via Ham (Genesis 10:16),
  2. In Exodus 33:2, God told Moses that, “I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:”
  3. In 1 Chronicles 11:4-9 we read, “And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which [is] Jebus; where the Jebusites [were], the inhabitants of the land. And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David. And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief. And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David. And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city. So David waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts [was] with him.

The implication is that David conquered and slew of all of the Jebusites who rebelled against him.  However, we should also note that in 2 Samuel 5:6, we are given some additional information, “And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.”  Just as David was not deterred from entering into Jerusalem to conquer it, Jesus also was not deterred from entering into Jerusalem, where Jesus also took away “the blind and the lame“…by healing them, and, more importantly by atoning for their sins. Everyone is a sinner by nature, and therefore also viewed by God as being “blind and lame” from a spiritual perspective, and in desperate need of spiritual healing that only Jesus can provide, please see the exposition on Mephibosheth.

Dealing with an Apparent Discrepancy in the Price of the Threshing Floor

Regarding the purchase of the Threshing Floor of Ornan, see also 2 Samuel 24:18-25 and note that the amount of the purchase was “fifty shekels of silver” versus “six hundred shekels of gold by weight”. While this appears initially to be discrepancy, it has been conjectured by some Biblical theologians and academics that the fifty shekels of silver was merely a downpayment.  However, it would seem far more likely that the price of the “threshingfloor and the oxen” was 50 shekels of silver 2 Samuel 24:24, while the price for the “place” (e.g., the surrounding mountain top of Mt. Moriah) was 600 shekels of gold 1 Chronicles 21:25.)

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God’s Equity, and the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard

October 21, 2024

Introduction

God’s thoughts and ways are far above mankind’s thoughts and ways

There are many places in the Bible where God shows us how He works His magnificent plan of salvation through the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And, from a human perspective, God’s ways do not necessarily always seem fair. The doctrine of election is perhaps the clearest example of that, which will be addressed below.

In our world today, we all hear a lot about “Equity”. This term has an earthly social context with the meaning of “freedom from disparities in the way people of different races, genders, etc. are treated”. However, God’s uses this term with His spiritual, eternal focus. In the Bible, in the Old Testament, we find that the word translated as equity from the original Hebrews is מֵישָׁר (mêšār)H4339, which means “evenness“, “uprightness“, “correctness“…as would be administered in righteous judgment.

For example:

  • Psalm 9:8, “And he (God) shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness (מֵישָׁר (mêšār))H4339.”
  • Psalm 58:1, “[[To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David.]] Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly (מֵישָׁר (mêšār))H4339, O ye sons of men?“
  • Psalm 98:9, “Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity (מֵישָׁר (mêšār))H4339.”

The Doctrine of Election is a Manifestation of God’s Equity (“So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen” Matthew 20:16 )

Mankind’s View of “Equity”

Mankind’s view of ‘equity’ would say that each person is his or her final arbiter, or captain, in the determination of his or her’s own fate. They would argue that ‘fairness’ and ‘equity’ dictates that every person has a ‘free will”, which he or she can exercise at his or her own discretion (for either salvation or damnation) and when asked most people will say that they have done more good than bad. Many have been sold on the idea that God loves everyone and/or that there is no Hell to pay for sin. But does that conform with what God declares?

God’s View of Equity

But God’s statements flip that idea upside down. God’s Equity is NOT mankind’ equity…Jesus made this clear in the following verses:

  1. Matthew 19:30, “But many [that are] first shall be last; and the last [shall be] first.”
  2. Matthew 20:16, “So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.”
  3. Mark 9:35, “And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, [the same] shall be last of all, and servant of all.”
  4. Mark 10:31, “But many [that are] first shall be last; and the last first.”
  5. Luke 9:48, “And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.“
  6. Luke 13:30, “And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.” Jesus expands a bit more on the meaning of this in Luke 13:24, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all [ye] workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you [yourselves] thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and [from] the west, and from the north, and [from] the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.“
  8. Luke 17:33, “Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” Similarly, Matthew 10:39, “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” and Matthew 16:25, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” and Mark 8:35, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” and John 12:25, “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.“

For help in understanding why and how this can be, we need to also understand the other examples that God provides in the Bible. According to the law of inheritance, a married couple’s firstborn son always received the best benefits, usually a double portion, and the Patriarchal blessing. Moreover we read in Exodus 13:2, “Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, [both] of man and of beast: it [is] mine.“

Nonetheless, we are given many examples of how God instituted a complete turnaround of this in the scriptures. Regarding the twin brothers in the womb of Rebecca, Esau was the firstborn son, but the younger son, Jacob (who became Israel), was given the firstborn’s inheritance as well as Esau’s birthright blessing. We read in Genesis 25:23, “And the LORD said unto her (Rebecca), Two nations [are] in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and [the one] people shall be stronger than [the other] people; and the elder shall serve the younger.” and again referring back to Genesis, the Apostle Paul restated it in Romans 9:12, “It was said unto her (Rebecca), The elder shall serve the younger.” And remember also what Jesus said in Luke 22:26, “But ye [shall] not [be] so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.“

We should also remember that the nation of Israel was identified as God’s “firstborn” in the Bible (Exodus 4:22; Jeremiah 31:9)and therefore Israel held a special place of privilege and blessing among the nations until the cross (remembering also that Jesus, the Only Begotten of the Father, Is God’s Firstborn and Jesus was of Israel). And then National Israel became the last among nations as the Gospel went forth to the Gentiles during the New Testament era. That is the primary spiritual implication of this message and which plays out is other similar Biblical accounts to underscore this point.

The Humble Will Be Exalted While the Proud Are Brought Low

  • Luke 14:11, “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
  • Note the similarity with Isaiah 2:12, “For the day of the LORD of hosts [shall be] upon every [one that is] proud and lofty, and upon every [one that is] lifted up; and he shall be brought low:“
  • James 4:6, “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
  • Jamess 4:10, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
  • 1 Peter 5:5, “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all [of you] be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”
  • Job 22:29, “When [men] are cast down, then thou shalt say, [There is] lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.”
  • Psalm 138:6, “Though the LORD [be] high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.”
  • Proverbs 3:34&35, “Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.”
  • Matthew 23:12, “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”
  • And also in James 1:9-11, “¶Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.“

Parable of Two Sons

There is also Jesus’ parable of the two sons who were instructed by the father to work in the father’s vineyard that we read in:Matthew 21:28-32. There we read where Jesus was condemning the Chief priests and elders of National Israel for their self-righteousness and lack of repentance. It provides another lesson of those who would have generally been considered to be “first” in the kingdom of God…the chief priests and elders…being surpassed by the publicans and harlots, who would have generally been considered among those who would be “last”. “¶But what think ye? A [certain] man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I [go], sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of [his] father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen [it], repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.“

More on God’s View of Equity

We should all understand that from God’s Holy viewpoint, every man is a sinner due to the fact that every human being is considered by God to have been present in the loins of Adam in the Garden of Eden at the Fall, and therefore everyone is subject to the same curse of sin and death…and which condemns every person who has ever been born to an eternity in Hell apart from the intervening Grace of God, which is made operable through the Person and Atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And that Work involved Jesus having to pay the full intercessory price of dying and going to Hell for the equivalent of eternity for the sins of those whom God chooses to save.

Let us take a close look at the Book of Romans, focusing on Chapter nine, to learn how God has established His equity.

We read in the Apostle Paul’s epistle to the Romans in Romans 9:10-24, “And not only [this]; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, [even] by our father Isaac; (For [the children] being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. ¶ What shall we say then? [Is there] unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then [it is] not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will [have mercy], and whom he will he hardeneth.

And note in particular, the following, as it relates to the Parable of the laborers below, in Romans 9:19-24 we read, “¶Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? ¶[What] if God, willing to shew [his] wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?”

Please see this post on Election entitled: “The Doctrine of Election Is Salvation by God’s Sovereign Grace Alone: God Is The Potter, We are the Clay (and His Workmanship)“.

Mutuality and Consistency of OTHER SCRIPTURES with Election

Anyone who claims to be a Christian should be familiar with the following verses: 

Matthew 22:14, “¶For many are called, but few are chosen.” Please note the passive voice. It should therefore be understood that it was never Jesus’ intent to save everybody, or anybody, who ‘chooses’ (active voice) Him! God Alone does the choosing!

The Gospel “call” goes out to the whole world, but the only ones who will really respond are the ones who are “chosen” by God and predestined to come to Jesus before the foundations of the world.

Psalm 65:4, “Blessed [is the man whom] thou choosest, and causest to approach [unto thee, that] he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, [even] of thy holy temple.“

Jesus clearly stated in John 6:44, that “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.“

Ephesians 1:5, “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,“

Ephesians 1:11, “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:”

Romans 9:11, “(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth; )“

Mutuality and Consistency of PARABLES with Election

Second is the astonishing fact that Jesus did not “speak plainly”, but instead “spoke in parables”!

Matthew 13:34, ¶All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:” (and Mark 4:34) which fulfilled Psalm 78:2)

That is why we have Mark 4:12, “That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.”  See also Matthew 13:13, Luke 8:10

And when we consider that the entire Bible is a “Parable”, it makes perfect sense from God’s perspective (but not man’s) that Election depends on the veiling of Truth through the use of parables. 

Moreover, parables are, themselves, just a “sign” that God’s Salvation Program is strictly by Election, because even when the parables are explained perfectly to someone, if that person is not one of God’s elect, then the explanation and teaching of the parables will still have no effect on that person. Such a person will physically hear the words, but will reject them by either simply dismissing them, mocking them, or even hating them because he or she does not want to hear the Truth. The words will have no spiritual effect, because each such hearer was not chosen by God to spiritually hear, and therefore was never among the elect of God in the first place.

Romans, chapter nine, makes the point that the unsaved man will find this to be unfair, and judge God as being unfair as a result. But what is not understood is that no human being would ever turn to God of his or her own free will because everyone is spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins. A dead thing cannot choose life. God has to empower a person to respond to the Gospel call by the quickening of The Holy Spirit. Each person who is to be saved must be “born again” of The Spirit and given the spiritual ears to hear. In effect, everyone is the unsaved state is physically alive, but still spiritually dead by nature.

God Is All, and Is Above All, and Totally Sovereign

God makes clear in Isaiah 55:8&9, “For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.“

Psalm 89:27, “Also I will make him [my] firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.” and Psalm 97:9, ” For thou, LORD, [art] high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.”

Psalm 103:11, “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.“

Proverbs 19:21, “[There are] many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.“

Isaiah 57:15, “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name [is] Holy; I dwell in the high and holy [place], with him also [that is] of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Consider also Psalm 34:18, “The LORD [is] nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” and Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.“)

1 Samuel 16:7, “¶But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.“

God’s Equity Explained

Ezekiel 18:24-32, “¶But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, [and] doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked [man] doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. ¶Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? When a righteous [man] turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked [man] turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? ¶Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn [yourselves] from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn [yourselves], and live ye.“

The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard

God’s Equity (or Economy) is NOT man’s equity (or economy). Jesus’ Parable of “The Laborers in the Vineyard”, as is presented in Matthew 20:1-16, explains more about God’s Economy, which some might describe as “equal pay for unequal work“. This is because we are saved not by our works, but by the Grace of God alone. Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.“

(Full Text of the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard)

In Matthew 20:1-16, we gain more insights in how God works out His Plan of Salvation: “¶For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man [that is] an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, [that] shall ye receive. ¶So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them [their] hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that [were hired] about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received [it], they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought [but] one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend*, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take [that] thine [is], and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.“

Key Words Reveal the Meaning of The Parable

Before we go to the key words that this teacher feels are important to highlight, let us all understand that the “householder” or “good man of the house” represents God, because only God is “Good”. That representative “man” contracted with each laborer for an agreed to amount “for a penny a day“. That is what the contract (one could call it a “covenant”) called for, nothing more. So let us look at some key words that reveal information that might otherwise not be so obvious on the surface.

“Thou Hast Made Them ‘Equal‘ Unto Us“

Here we see the basis for the discontent of man with God’s equitable economy. The murmuring laborers complained to the “good man of the house”, as any carnal man would, that they did a full day’s work even through the heat of the day, while the laborers who were brought in at the last hour received the same pay, and were paid first. Does not this remind us of the elder brother who complained to his father regarding the prodigal son (the younger son who wasted his inheritance and yet received honor from the father upon returning home in repentance)?

“Murmured“

Notice that in this parable those laborers who were hired first later “murmured” (like the Pharisees and the scribes who murmured against Jesus in Luke 15:1-2, “¶Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.”) and these unhappy laborers were subsequently viewed as having an “eye” that is “evil” because they rejected God’s economy. The lesson of this parable as well as those in Luke Chapter 15, is that everyone who becomes saved at any point in his or her life, become a servant of God to work in His vineyard to harvest souls, and it does not matter when in his or her lifetime that any believer joins into that work, at the end of the day (the end of his or her physical life), all the believers will receive the same wage…and certainly not a “penny”, but rather Eternal Life with God in Heaven! And they will definitely not be angry, resentful, or “murmuring” in their hearts, but rather the believers, the saints, will be rejoicing in Heaven with God praising Jesus for their Salvation!

1 Corinthians 10:10, “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.“, which referred back to both Exodus 16:2, “And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:” and Numbers 14:35-37, “I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die. ¶And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land, Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.” Note how this is was also recounted for our admonition in Psalm 106:25, “But murmured in their tents, [and] hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD.“

For more on this topic of murmuring, it is useful to review the Parable of the Prodigal Son, because the elder son (who was first) effectively became ‘last’ because of his resentment and inner hatred of his younger brother (who originally last) who was lost, but then was found and became ‘first’. That study on the Prodigal son points us to three other pairs of brothers (true bothers in real life) where the elder is superseded by the younger and the allegorical roles that each serve to illustrate God’s equity/economy, 1) Cain and Abel, 2) Ishmael and Isaac, and 3) Esau and Jacob (Israel). And just as the elder brother served as an example of an unsaved person in those three pairs of brothers, so too does the murmuring man to whom the “Good” man suggested had an evil eye and who he addressed as “Friend”.

An “Evil‘ “Eye“

Regarding the statement by the “Good” man to the one murmurer, “Is thine eye evil”?, we should note in particular what Jesus said in regards to the natural, carnal, unsaved man in Mark 7:21-23, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.“

Jesus also said in Matthew 6:23, “But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness!”

Jesus elaborated even more in Luke 11:34-36, “The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when [thine eye] is evil, thy body also [is] full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.“

*“Friend”

We should take particular notice of the fact that the “householder” or “good man of the house” (who spiritually represents God) addressed one of the murmuring laborers as “Friend“. This word, which is translated in English as “Friend“, is from the original Greek word, ἑταῖρος (hetairos)G2083, which means “acquaintance” or “comrade” and most certainly implies close “familiarity”. However, we should be careful to note that this word for “Friend” is used sparingly in the Bible, a total of only four times and only in the Book of Matthew (and each of the three times that it is found in the singular, it is also capitalized in the King James translation). And, with further scrutiny, we can see that this original Greek word word that is translated in English as “Friend” does not have the same positive connotation that one might initially think, in fact just the opposite, it is quite negative. This is because, most notably, this particular word, which has been translated as “Friend” in Matthew 20:13, just so happens to also be found in these two unhappy circumstances:

  1. The original Greek word that is translated as “Friend“ here is the exact same word found in the “the Parable of the Wedding Feast” of Matthew 22:12 in which the king addressed the man who lacked a wedding garment as “Friend“(ἑταῖρος (hetairos))G2083 and whom the king immediately ordered to be bound and cast “into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (in other words, he was to be cast into Hell!).
  2. It is also the exact same word that Jesus used in addressing Judas Iscariot (upon being betrayed by Judas with a kiss) as we read in Matthew 26:48-50, ¶Now he (Judas) that betrayed him (Jesus) gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he (Judas) came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. ¶And Jesus said unto him, Friend (ἑταῖρος (hetairos))G2083, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.” And also note how well that compares with Psalm 41:9, “Yea, mine own familiar friend (אִישׁ (‘îš))H376, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.“ and Psalm 55:13-15,”But [it was] thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.We took sweet counsel together, [and] walked unto the house of God in company.Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness [is] in their dwellings, [and] among them.” And we should all know that Judas Iscariot is assigned to Hell as we read in John 17:12, where Jesus prayed to God The Father, “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.” (fulfilling Psalm 55:13-15). Perdition is another word for a state of eternal punishment and damnation, which is Hell, that awaits an unrepentant person.

In English we have only one word for “friend”, but in the original Greek there is a clear distinction between the meanings of the two words that are found in the New Testament, which have been both been translated into English as “friend”.

The other word in the original Greek is φίλος (philos)G5384 that was translated into English as “friend” (and clearly does mean ‘friend” as generally is understood) is found in John 15:13, where Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (φίλος (philos)) G5384. And Jesus most certainly did that (and much more) for all whom He came to seek and to save.

In the Old Testament there is at least two words in the original Hebrew that can be used to represent “friend“, like familiar “friend” (אִישׁ (‘îš))H376 in Psalm 41:9 (from which it can also be interpreted as speaking of Judas, who betrayed Jesus, as being otherwise a “peaceable” “man”), and רֵעַ (rēaʿ)H7453, which is more often translated as “neighbor”. That word has been translated into English by the King James translators variously as neighbour (102x), friend (42x), another (23x), fellow (10x), companion (5x), other (2x), brother (1x), husband (1x), lovers (1x). And note in particular what we find in Job 16:21, “O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man [pleadeth] for his neighbour (רֵעַ (rēaʿ))H7453!” How poignant is that? Remember what we read in 1 John 2:1, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.“

Conclusion

The last verses of the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard sum it all up. We read there, “Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.“

Again, God’s Equity (or Economy) is NOT man’s equity (or economy). No one can murmur against God and say to God what is fair or unfair. God is Sovereign and His Ways are not man’s ways and God Is Perfect and Just to Save whomever He Wills to save as we read in Romans 9:18-21, “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will [have mercy], and whom he will he hardeneth. ¶Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? No one has any right as the creature to question the Creator on how He deals with His Creation.

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men as we read in 1 Corinthians 1:26-28, “¶For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, [yea], and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:”

If anyone wants to really understand WHY God’s Equity is not mankind’s equity, it boils down to one single simple concept, and that is the GOSPEL OF GRACE! Mankind believes in the exercise of its free will, and, with it, a salvation dependent upon his or her’s own good works in some version of being “good” in accordance with God’s Law. But the Law of God demands PERFECT obedience, and therefore the Law only serves to judge and condemn everyone for sin. As a result, God’s Equity purposed to establish an alternative, which flips this line of reasoning on its head. God provided a Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who Was the Only One Who could be PERFECTLY obedient to the Law. The result is that the means of salvation is not earned by our failed attempts in keeping the Law, but rather solely by God’s mercy in granting salvation by Grace alone, and not of works, as we read in:

  1. Ephesians 2:7-9, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us  through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.“
  2. 2 Timothy 1:8-11, “¶Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called [us] with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.“
  3. Genesis 15:1, “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram:I [am] thy shield, [and] thy exceeding great reward.”
  4. Matthew 5:12, “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great [is] your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.“

The exceeding “great reward” is God Himself, in the Person of Jesus Christ, the believer’s kinsman Redeemer. Nothing more and nothing less, for Jesus is EVERYTHING. 1 Corinthians 2:9, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.“

Dear Reader, as this teacher has said before, in many other posts, as hard as this post is to accept, we must remember that Jesus stated specifically, twice for emphasis, the following in John 6:44, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” and John 6:65, “And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.“

1 Corinthians 4:7, “For who maketh thee to differ [from another]? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received [it]?”

However, just because Election (“many be called but few chosen“) is a predetermined Grace upon one individual and not another…everyone, while still living, is in no way absolved from not turning back to God in repentance for sin, and is therefore still faced with the personal reckoning. Everyone needs to ask, “Am I saved or not?” IF this issue is disturbing, then that is a positive sign of being fearful of God’s wrath come Judgment Day. It is a sing that God is instilling a desire to make peace with Him through the Atoning Sacrifice of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Everyone is obligated to cry out to God for mercy, and God will show mercy. IF, on the other hand, an individual becomes disgusted and does not like what has been said above, then so be it. God Is still The Creator, The Potter, and The Judge.

May this post (as well as each of the others found on this website) be a blessing to all who read it.

Postscript

We should also remember another facet of God’s Equity…Remember what Jesus said in:

  1. the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:12, “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.” and again later in
  2. the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:29, “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. and this also
  3. Luke 8:18, “Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.” And that word “seemeth” is from the original Greek word δοκέω (dokeō)G1380, which is better translated as “thinks”. Many people “think” that they are right with God, by taking upon them the name of Jesus Christ (hence “Christians”) for their salvation, but sadly they are not truly saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ Alone.
  4. God adds wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those with understanding as we read in Daniel 2:20-22, “¶Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what [is] in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.“
  5. And from the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (tax collector) in Luke 18:14, “I tell you, this man (the Publican) went down to his house justified [rather] than the other (the Pharisee): for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.“

However, we must also remember what Jesus said in Luke 12:48, “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” The more wisdom and understanding God graciously grants a person from His Word, the greater the responsibility that person will have to use it to His Glory! Which brings to mind Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.“

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Jesus’ Parables of The Great Division on Judgment Day

October 13, 2024

The Great Division: Jesus’ Parables of the “Sheep and the Goats”, the “Wheat and the Tares”, and “The Good Fish and Bad Fish in the Net” (All Pointing to Judgment Day)

Jesus presented us with several parables that deal with the Great Separation/Division that is surely coming soon on Judgment Day, and three of these are particularly in view in this study. The first uses the metaphor of a King (representing God) dividing the nations as though they were sheep set apart from the goats in Matthew 25:31-46. These verses come immediately after Jesus’ having just spoken the Parable of the Talents. The verses dealing with the sheep and the goats are consistent with the “Talents” parable, and they provide additional insights regarding it, and should therefore be viewed in that context as a follow-on to that parable. [Please note that Jesus’ provides us with additional insights pertinent to this “great division” in His “Parable of the Ten Virgins“.]

Two other of Jesus’ Great Separation parables use 1) a metaphor of the unwanted tares (weeds) growing in among the desired wheat that was sown in a field that are separated upon the harvest, and 2) a metaphor of good fish and bad fish caught together but separated on the shore. In all three parables, we see a picture of how, on Judgment Day at the end of the World, God will separate the righteous (represented by both the sheep, the wheat, and the good fish) to enter into Heaven, from the unsaved of the world, the reprobates (represented by goats, the tares, and the bad kind of fish), who will be cast into Hell forever. These three parables are extremely ominous in their implications, but nonetheless so very true in this understanding, particularly because the second parable is fully explained by none other than Jesus Christ Himself.

Jesus’ Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

Matthew 25:31-46, “¶When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. ¶Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me. ¶Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. ¶Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.“

The First Division: Jesus’ Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

Matthew 13:24-29, “¶Another parable put he (Jesus) forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.“

Jesus’ Exposition of the Parable of the Wheat and the Taresd

So that there can be no doubt about what is the meaning of this second parable, Jesus Himself provides us with the correct interpretation. We read the explanation of the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares in Matthew 13:36-43, “¶Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. ¶He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one]; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” [NOTE: regarding the meaning of “ears to hear“, please see this post]

And is not this division of wheat and the tares identical to, and consistent with, the separation that we read about in Hebrews 6:7&8, “¶For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers [is] rejected, and [is] nigh unto cursing; whose end [is] to be burned.“

Jesus said, “The Harvest is the End of the World”

This exposition by Jesus is telling us that Jesus will return at the end of the world and hence He must be referring to Judgment Day. Jesus said explicitly, “the harvest is the end of the world;” according to Matthew 13:39, which will be when the world is ready to be reaped, and all those who are to be saved will have been saved and taken up into Heaven, and when the wicked will be Judged guilty and cast into Hell. Jesus said in Matthew 13:39 when explaining to His disciples the meaning of the “Parable of the Tares of the Field” that, “The enemy that sowed them (the tares) is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.” For more on this, please see again the “Parable of the Sower.“ And note the consistency with what is stated in Exodus 23:16, “And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, [which is] in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.” 

Mark 4:26-29, “¶And he (Jesus) said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.“

Matthew 13:30, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.“

Joel 3:13, “Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness [is] great.“

Revelation 14:19, “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast [it] into the great winepress of the wrath of God.“

And note also the harmony of what we read in Matthew 5:45, “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.“, which indicates that just as both the wheat and the tares are allowed to grow together until the harvest at the end of the world, in the meantime, that they will still share the same earthly temporal benefits.

The Second Division: The Harvest of Wheat Takes Place at the Threshing Floor of God

There is one more “Division” that we are told about in the Bible, which is also agriculturally focused and has the same implications regarding Judgment Day. It is the separating of the “wheat” (which represents the same as in the parable of the Wheat and the Tares: the righteous, the believers) from the “chaff” (representing the same as with the tares: the unsaved, the reprobates), which John the Baptist spoke of regarding Jesus on Judgment Day in both Matthew 3:12,  “Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he (Jesus) will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he (Jesus) will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” and  Luke 3:17, “Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he (Jesus) will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he (Jesus) will burn with fire unquenchable.” The “garner” (which is a barn or harvest house) spiritually represents Heaven, while the “unquenchable fire” spiritually represents the fires of Hell for eternity.

Typical Threshing Floor

The “floor” means “threshing floor” where the division of the wheat and the chaff takes place. The “fan” is a tool that is held in the harvester’s hand, which involves the throwing up/winnowing of the mixture of the collected harvested material into the air such that the wind carries away the chaff to the side (that is usually burned), while the desired wheat or barley(corn) drops to the floor for collecting into heaps and then storage vessels, usually placed in a barn. Threshing floors are generally located on hilltops where the wind blows most consistently.

Threshing floors have great spiritual significance in the Bible.

  1. It is where Ruth made her petition for redemption to Boaz in Ruth Chapter 3, “And now [is] not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor.”
  2. The Holy Temple in Jerusalem was built by King Solomon on the site of the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, which King David purchased and had been told to erect an altar to God in 1 Chronicles 21:18, “Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.  And later in 2 Chronicles 3:1, we read, “Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where [the LORD] appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.”

A much more detailed exposition on the meaning of the “Threshing Floor” can be found in the exposition of the Book of Ruth (and, the Lord Willing, in a future standalone post).

The Third Division: The Good and Bad Fish in the Net

Jesus spoke another parable that provided a third perspective on the great division of mankind. In Matthew 13:47-50, we read where Jesus said, “¶Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.“

Note that this parable of Jesus was immediately followed by these two verses: Matthew 13:51&52, “¶Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. ¶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.” The scribe and householder is the believer whose treasure includes the hidden things of God as found in both the Old and New Testaments concerning Jesus.

It might be useful to consider here how the “fish” are used by God to represent “people”. This was made clear when Jesus called Peter and his brother Andrew to follow Him and that He would make them “fishers of men” in Matthew 4:19, “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” and Mark 1:17, “And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” Then there is Luke 5:1-10, where in the last verse we read, 324“And so [was] also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.“ Therefore the fishes spiritually (via allegory), represent mankind, because Jesus clearly said that this is the case.

Then we are also present with the case where God records the historical account of Jesus appearing to the disciples (post-Resurrection) on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (“Sea of Tiberias“) as Peter along with named other disciples were fishing as we read in John 21:1-11, “¶After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he [himself]. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the [sons] of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. ¶And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. ¶Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt [his] fisher’s coat [unto him], (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. ¶Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.“ The disciples under the direction of Jesus caught a great multitude of fish (153 fish to be exact). We can infer therefore that these fish represent a lot of men.

NOTE: There is a reason that the number of caught fish in the net is specified as being exactly 153. 153 is a unique number which highlights the prime number “17”, which can be factored from it in two different ways. If we add 1 +2 +3 +4 +5…..up to and including +17, we find that the sum equals 153!  The Number 153 also breaks down like this:  3 x 3 x “17“. In a previous post on the meaning of Numbers in the Bible, it was shown how the number “3” represents “the Purpose or Will of God” and the number “17” (a prime number that cannot be divided any further) represents “Heaven” in the Bible. The number 17 is therefore uniquely highlighted in two different ways that no other number besides 153 will be capable of doing. We can see that the spiritual implication that God has incorporated into this historical account, and the insertion of this unique number, is that it was the Purpose and Will of God that the disciples, led by Peter, should become “fishers of men“, and they would be used of God to bring a great number of souls into Heaven in accord with Jesus’ declaration that is recorded in Matthew 4:19 and Mark 1:17.

Conclusion

The Great Division of all Mankind who have ever lived, and ever will live, will take place at the end of this world on Judgment Day. Judgment Day is when the harvest of souls occurs. Jesus specifically said in Matthew 13:49&50, “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.“

One part of mankind (represented by the sheep, the wheat, and the good fish) will enter into Heaven (God’s Green Pasture, the Great Harvest Home, and the vessels for good) and as a result of those people having King Jesus Christ’s Righteousness imputed to them while the other part of mankind (represented by the goats, the tares/weeds or chaff, and the bad fish) will stand naked before God in their unredeemed sinful state and be cast into the fires of Hell for Eternity.

Are you ready? If you are not ready, it may still be possible for you to cry out to God for mercy through the Person and Atoning Sacrificial Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, such that He might show mercy to you before that Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, Judgment Day. The LORD Jesus Christ is mankind’s ONLY Hope, and The ONLY Means of salvation from God’s just penalty for our sins. There is only one alternative, and that is to spend an eternity in Hell.

Psalm 96:13, “…Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.“

Joel 2:11, “And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp [is] very great: for [he is] strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD [is] great and very terrible; and who can abide it?“

 Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” and we are told in 2 Peter 3:13, “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” The believers who seek after righteousness are seeking Jesus for their Salvation and will have Jesus’ righteousness imputed to them forever in the new heavens and a new earth.

Hosea 14:9, “Who [is] wise, and he shall understand these [things]? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD [are] right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.“

POSTSCRIPT

Other verses to ponder concerning the issue of “Division“:

1) In Luke 12:51-53, Jesus was unequivocal in saying, “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.” (see also Matthew 10:34–39 )

2) Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.“

3) The Book of Remembrance: Malachi 3:16-18, “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard [it], and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.“

4) Dear reader, please think about this also. During the Crucifixion of the Lord, Jesus Christ, there was a thief on the right hand of Jesus, and a thief on the left hand. Matthew 27:38, “Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.” Likewise we read in Mark 15:27, “And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.” and in Luke 23:33, “And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.“

But we also read later in Luke 23:39, “¶And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. ¶But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.¶ And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.“

One was saved and one was not. Another clear separation!

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Jesus’ Parables of the Two Great Feasts

October 11, 2024

Introduction

Two of Jesus’ parables have very similar themes. While each parable has unique aspects, they both deal with an powerful host inviting people to come in and attend a prepared feast, but for one reason or another the invited guests were generally not interested, made excuses, mocked the host, or in fact became hostile and violent to those who were sent to bid them to come. So let us first see what they say, and then next consider the spiritual implications that they hold for all of mankind.

Parable of the King’s Son’s Marriage Dinner (full text)

Matthew 22:1–14 , “¶ And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and [my] fatlings [are] killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise. And the remnant took his servants, and entreated [them] spitefully, and slew [them]. But when the king heard [thereof], he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. ¶And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast [him] into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.¶ For many are called, but few [are] chosen.“

Parable of the Great Supper (full text)

Luke 14:15–24 , “¶Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one [consent] began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel [them] to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.“

An Exposition of the Two Parables

In both parables, Jesus is instructing us that God the Father has ordained that His Beloved Son, the LORD Jesus Christ, as the Bridegroom, would have a Wedding and Marriage Feast, wherein the Church, the Body of Christ, the true Believers, from throughout all the world throughout all time would be the Bride, exactly as we are told in Revelation:

Revelation 19:7-9, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. ¶And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.“

Revelation 21:2, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Revelation 21:9&10, “¶And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,“

In both parables, invitations were sent out to an initial list of invitees, and that initial list of those bidden allegorically represented National Israel (the Nation within which Jesus was specifically speaking at the time). National Israel did not accept Jesus as the Messiah. They either scoffed at the idea that a “carpenter’s son”, a man from Nazareth and Galilee could possibly be the promised Messiah or they made excuses for not believing in Him. Then the witnesses of Jesus’ miracles were cast out of the synagogues, and the majority of National Israel, up to and including the High Priest, not only aided and abetted the execution of Jesus, but they joined in scourging and even stoning to death those messengers who later brought the Gospel of Salvation (who in fact were simply bidding them to come to Jesus as LORD God and King and to partake of that consummate wedding feast that would take place at the end of the world). God declared that they would be destroyed, and never enter into Heaven, and, as a result, that the Gospel would henceforth go out to all the Gentile world, bringing in everyone (including a remnant of National Israel saved by Grace) who hunger and thirst after righteousness. God the Father would draw them all to Jesus by The Holy Spirit through the “hearing” of the Word. And this all began at Pentecost in 33 AD after Jesus’ Atoning Sacrifice, Resurrection, and Ascension where He now sits at the Right Hand of God the Father.

The First Parable: “Ye Must be Born Again” (John 3:7)

Beating and Killing the Servants/Messengers

The first part of the parable, where the “And the remnant took his servants, and entreated [them] spitefully, and slew [them]” can be related to the warnings to the chief priests and Pharisees of National Israel, and likened to Jesus’ Parable of the Vineyard Owner that we read about in Matthew 21:33-46, as well as Jesus’ more direct denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites in Matthew 23:29-39 for beating, imprisoning, and killing the prophets whom God had sent to them. [For more on this refusal to come to the wedding feast of the king, please see the Typology of Queen Vashti in the detailed exposition of the Book of Esther]

The Wedding Feast/Marriage Feast

Without any doubt this parable of Jesus in referring to the “marriage/wedding feast/dinner” points us directly back to Revelation 19:7-9, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. ¶And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.“

The Man Without a Wedding Garment

Interestingly, the first parable, Matthew 22:1–14, ended with a man who arrived at the wedding feast without a wedding garment. Not only was the man denied entry, but we read of his condemnation by the wrathful king, “Then said the the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast [him] into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

What happened there? What was the big deal? When we compare scripture with scripture it becomes clear what this part of the parable is about.

“Wedding Garment“?

From Revelation 19:7-9 above God makes clear that the “wedding garment” represents the robe of Christ’s righteousness imputed to the believer that covers all his or her sins. “…arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”

And in order to have the robes of Christ’s Righteousness one has to be “born again”. In John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

And that helps to explain why when the servants were told to “…Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.” Those who are born again of the Holy Spirit are spiritually arrayed with that wedding garment are therefore made “good”, and those without a wedding garment remain “bad”.

And this also explains the meaning of “¶ For many are called, but few [are] chosen.“ Those who have the Wedding Garments are not just called, but they are also Chosen.  They must be the Elect of God.  God chooses, we do not.

“Friend“?

Next, please note that the king addressed the man as “Friend“, from the original Greek word, ἑταῖρος (hetairos)G2083, which means “acquaintance” or “comrade” and most certainly implies close “familiarity”. But we should be careful to note that this word for “friend” is used sparingly in the Bible, only four times and only in the Book of Matthew (and each of the three times that it is found in the singular, it is also capitalized in the King James translation). And, with further scrutiny, we can see that this word translated in English as “Friend” does not have the same positive connotation that one might initially think, in fact just the opposite, it is quite negative.

The connotation is negative, because, most notably, this particular word that is translated as “Friend” just so happens to also be the exact same word that Jesus used in addressing Judas (upon being betrayed by Judas with a kiss) as we read in Matthew 26:48-50, ¶Now he (Judas) that betrayed him (Jesus) gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he (Judas) came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. ¶And Jesus said unto him, Friend (ἑταῖρος (hetairos))G2083, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.” And also note how well that compares with Psalm 41:9, “Yea, mine own familiar friend (אִישׁ (‘îš))H376, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.” [[Note that this word in the original Hebrew, which is translated here as “friend” (אִישׁ (‘îš))H376, is almost always (more than one thousand times) translated in the Bible simply as “man“. So, although it was a bit misleading for the King James translators to have translated this Hebrew word into English as “friend”, it nonetheless certainly served God’s purpose to help the reader to relate to it as a prefigurement of Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus.]]

In English we have only one word for “friend”, but in the Greek there is clearly a distinction between the meanings of the two words found in the New Testament that have been both been translated into English as “friend”. The other word in the original Greek is φίλος (philos)G5384 that was translated into English as “friend” is found in the following verses (and these are just a small sample)”:

John 15:13-16, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. G5384 Ye are my friends, G5384 if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; G5384 for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.“

Remember in Matthew 7:21-23, where Jesus spoke regarding Judgment Day, “¶Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.“

Luke 6:46, “¶And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”

Luke 13:23-28, “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you [yourselves] thrust out.“

Speaking of these “friends“, as described above in John 15:13…when we look back in the Old Testament at the original Hebrew word that is translated into English as “friends” by the King James translators in Zechariah 13:6, we can find something very interesting.  “And [one] shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, [Those] with which I was wounded (smitten) [in] the house of my friends.” In the original Hebrew, the word that is shown here as “friends” is the word, אָהַב (‘āhaḇ)H157, which means “beloved“. In the King James Bible, אָהַב (‘āhaḇ)H157 is translated in following manner: love (169x), lover(s) (19x), friend(s) (12x), beloved (5x), liketh (1x), lovely (1x), loving (1x). It is a very deep and intimate love. Therefore, this Messianic verse is telling us that Jesus is saying that He was wounded in the house of His “beloved“. Note how this is so very consistent with what we are told in Isaiah 53:5, “But he [was] wounded (desecrated) for our transgressions, [he was] bruised (broken) for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.“

That “man” is an allegorical representative of all those who take upon themselves the name of Jesus Christ, who go to a “Christian” church and are generally associated with the believers, and who are confident that their sins are covered and that they are therefore qualified to be welcomed into Heaven. However, in fact, they have never been “Born Again by the Spirit“, and thus they have never been adorned with the robes of Christ’s Righteousness. They remain naked in their sins, and therefore still subject to God’s wrath, to be cast into Hell forever. The parable rightly ends with the statement, “¶For many are called, but few [are] chosen.“

Many hear the call of the words of the Gospel of Salvation by Jesus Christ, and many go through the motions of what outwardly appear to be the hallmarks of being a Christian, but few are those who are really counted among the Elect of God. And only the Elect of God are internally born again by God’s Holy Spirit. Remember what Jesus said in John 3:5-8, “¶Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.“

This is also the same message that we read about in The Parable of the Ten Virgins, which makes clear that Jesus did NOT die to save “everyone” from their sins! Jesus only came to seek and save those whom God had chosen to save, those who are Born Again of the Spirit, those who God counts to be among the Elect of God, and those who are otherwise referred to as “the sheep” of the Flock of The Good Shepherd, The LORD Jesus Christ!

Another pertinent verse to ponder: Luke 12:45-48, “But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not [himself], neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”

We must pay particular attention to these words as they are identical to what we read was the fate of the unprofitable servant in Jesus’ Parable of the Talents as we read in Matthew 25:30, “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Compare also with Matthew 13:49&50, “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” There is therefore no doubt that the man without the wedding garment and the unprofitable servant shared the exact same fate, and the description of that fate represents the torment that all who remain dead in trespasses and sins (the unsaved) will have to endure in Hell for all eternity. This is the reality Jesus was conveying in His parables, and which has the greatest import for all of humanity!

The Second Parable: No Excuses!

In the second parable, Luke 14:15–24 , instead of mocking the host, the original invitees to the “great supper” simply ignored the host’s sent servant (Jesus Himself) and made excuses “And they all with one [consent] began to make excuse.”  Three example excuses are provided, but then, when the host (allegorically representing God the Father) hears of it, he becomes angry. Again we see how the invitees who make excuses are used in the parable to, in the first instance, represent National Israel who were bidden first but refused to come (but more importantly, serve spiritually as a “Type” to represent all of mankind who reject The LORD Jesus Christ and His Gospel call). This is explained more clearly when we look at the role of Queen Vashti in the Historical Parable found in the Book of Esther.

However, as a result of that rejection by National Israel, that same invitation (the Gospel call to come to Jesus and His Passover and ultimately His Wedding Feast) would henceforth go out to all the Gentile world, bringing in everyone and anyone who, because of their natural sin-sick state, are made aware that they are spiritually poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. Remember in James 2:5, we read, “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” (The account of Ruth, a cursed Moabitess, provides us with a metaphor for someone who is spiritually a widow, a stranger, and poor; and the account of Mephibosheth provides us with a metaphor for someone who is spiritually lame (hence “maimed” and “halt“), and Hearing Ear and Seeing Eye explains what it means to be spiritually deaf and blind). Moreover all believers are commanded by Jesus in His Great Commission to go into “all the world” and preach the gospel to the Gentiles, as we read in Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.“

God the Father would draw these desperate, but chosen, people to Jesus by The Holy Spirit through the “hearing” of the Word. And, also again, we see a similar fate for those who declined the supper invitation with excuses, whereupon the angry host declares, “That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.” Those who deny Jesus, and His Gospel Call, are doomed to endure the wrath of God for their sins for an eternity in Hell.

CONCLUSION

At one time or another, everyone, in some way or another, will be confronted with having to deal with the invitation to Come to Jesus for forgiveness of sins and to come to the great wedding feast in Heaven with Jesus, as prepared by God the Father. Everyone will have to respond by either “hearing” The Word of God and lovingly and joyfully responding to that invitation, or

  1. Make excuses because of each one’s love of this world, in opposition to God’s warning in 1 John 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.”, and Matthew 10:37, where Jesus said, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” or…
  2. Dismissively mock Jesus and His Ambassadors, as we read in Matthew 27:41, “¶Likewise also the chief priests mocking [him], with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.” (and remember that these scribes and elders were those who “knew” what the scriptures said, but, because they were spiritually blind, they could not “know” Jesus, Who was the embodiment of those scriptures) and in Acts 2:13, at Pentecost, “¶Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.“, or…
  3. Hate the messengers because they hate the message (they hate Jesus). Remember what Jesus said in John 15:18, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before [it hated] you.” and John 15:19, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” And remember that by God’s standard, that would make all of them “murderers” as we read in 1 John 3:15, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.“)

In the end, on Judgment Day, these latter individuals will find out the Truth, but it will then be too late.

“¶For many are called, but few [are] chosen.“

POSTSCRIPT

National Israel Condemned?

The above exposition makes clear that Jesus was condemning National Israel for rejecting Him and the Gospel of Salvation by Grace through Him. Jesus spoke in parables to the multitudes for a reason, which is explained in a previous post on Parables. Moreover, there are many professing Christians and theologians who claim that God still has a special plan and place for National Israel in a future great awakening, in some type of New Dispensation. That is simply NOT TRUE! There is only ONE Gospel of Grace, which spans all of history, and it applies to both Jew and Gentile alike (the remnant of sinful mankind saved by Grace alone through faith), and it has always been the case and will always be the case right up until Judgment Day. How can this be assured?

The Bible is the source book of Truth. We have only to look back in the Bible, in the Old Testament Book of Esther, another Historical Parable, for confirmation. There in the beginning of that book, Chapter 1, verses 1-22, we find another instance of a banquet feast being held by a great king and his bidding of guests to attend.

Foremost of those bidden guests was Queen Vashti: A beautiful queen, the first wife of the king Ahasuerus.  When she was bidden by the king (by his “commandment”) to that great feast, she refused to come while holding her own feast for the women; so the king in his wrath decreed that she could never again come into his presence.  The king (who is an allegorical “Type” for God) also decreed, at the advice of his wise men, that her royal estate be given “to another that is better than she.” King Ahasuerus then sent letters to all his provinces to be published “to every people after their language” to find a replacement for Queen Vashti.

Esther was that replacement: A fair and beautiful maid, a virgin, (and an orphan, because “for she had neither mother or father”) who was brought up by Mordecai, her elder cousin (both being Benjamite Jews), and he “took for his own daughter“… “when her father and mother were dead“.)  Esther pleased king  Ahasuerus and “she obtained kindness of him.”  “And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.“

Please see Deuteronomy 31:16-18, because it lays the foundation for understanding why National Israel, as a people, fell under and have remained under God’s wrath and condemnation: “¶And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go [to be] among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God [is] not among us? And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.” 

God provides additional commentary in Psalm 95:10&11 regarding the nation of Israel after their coming out of Egypt, “Forty years long was I grieved with [this] generation, and said, It [is] a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.“

Going back to the parable of Matthew 22:1-14?  The “remnant”, that Jesus said was bidden to the wedding feast, but who refused to come and then slew the King’s servants (the Christians), was National Israel!  Like Vashti, National Israel acted rebelliously.  She refused to come when bidden to the Feast.  She was disobedient.  Anyone who takes the same action in response to God’s command to “Come unto me” will be cast out of the presence of God forever.  Nonetheless, there is another “remnant” of National Israel who God has chosen by Grace before the foundation of the world to be counted among God’s Elect.

[It has also been pointed out to this teacher, that Queen Vashti has attributes that can also be likened to the apostate “Christian” church (as opposed to the true eternal church of Jesus Christ), which in effect also refuses God’s command to come to His feast, because it is conducting its own feast in the house that otherwise belongs to God]

[Some may think that because National Israel was restored as a nation among nations again in 1948, with its capital established in Jerusalem in 1967, that this means that God brought this about to restore His relationship with National again. Absolutely NOT! Rather, it is because it is the fulfillment of Jesus proclamation concerning the “parable of the fig tree.” Matthew 24:32&33, “¶Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors.” The parable was provided in the context of determining the time of the end of the world. Note that it does not say that there would be any fruit. Let him who has ears hear. For more on this topic, please see “Will the Temple Ever Be Rebuilt?]

For additional corroboration please remember what we are told in:

  1. Romans 2:9-11, “Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.”
  2. Acts 10:34, “¶Then Peter opened [his] mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. The word which [God] sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)“

Do you now see how closely this historical account from the Book of Esther so closely mimics and sheds new light upon Jesus’ parables of the two feasts? They are completely consistent!

May this and all the posts found on this website be a blessing to all who read them and may God grant those readers the ears to hear and the eyes to see.

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God’s Hermeneutic Explained: 1 Corinthians, Chapter 2

October 10, 2024

Introduction: A Different Hermeneutic “Which the Holy Ghost Teacheth: Comparing Spiritual Things with Spiritual“

1 Corinthians, Chapter 2, has a lot to say about “spiritual” understanding and interpretation of God’s Word as compared with that of unregenerate, natural man’s method of interpretation. This chapter outlines and explains GOD’S Hermeneutic…which is the key to Bible interpretation! That Hermeneutic, being entirely Spiritual, is that “which the Holy Ghost teacheth: comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (holy scripture with holy scripture) precisely as Jesus revealed in the course of His explanation of The Parable of the Sower.

God, in speaking through the Apostle Paul in the first letter to the church in Corinth, emphasizes that there is a clear distinction between the “wisdom of men” and the “Wisdom of God.” This chapter shows us that the only possible means by which that gap can be closed is ONLY if God anoints an individual with His Holy Spirit, commensurate with Salvation by Grace, because of the intercessory Atoning Work and Sacrifice of the LORD Jesus Christ for the sinner’s sins. “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified“.

1 Corinthians 2:1, “¶And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678, declaring unto you the testimony of God.“

Any man who can read the Bible can easily tell you what the words in the Bible “say”, but only God, through His Holy Spirit, can reveal what the Word “means” for the purpose of the Salvation of the soul.

1 Corinthians 1:17, “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”

1 Corinthians 2:2, For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”

Philippians 3:8, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ,“

1 Corinthians 2:3, “And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and  in much trembling.”

2 Corinthians4:8, “[We are] troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;“

Psalm 2:11, “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” and Philippians 2:12, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.“

1 Corinthians 2:4, “And my speech and my preaching [was] not with  enticing words of man’s wisdom (σοφία (sophia)) G4678, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:“

2 Peter 1:16, “¶For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (Please see the post “The Mount of Transfiguration“)

Romans 15:19, “Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.“

1 Corinthians 2:5, “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678 of men, but in the power of God.“

2 Corinthians 4:7, “¶But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.“

Acts 20:27&28, “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.“

1 Corinthians 2:6, “¶Howbeit we speak wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678 among them that are perfect (τέλειος (teleios))G5046: yet not the wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678 of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:“

Natural, fleshly, mankind is incapable of having the necessary wisdom of God to understand and discern the true meaning of God’s intent as found in His Word, as God’s Wisdom is only revealed to the saved soul as a Gift by the Power of God’s Holy Spirit. Please see this post: “Refutation of the Literal – Grammatical – Historical Hermeneutic“.

2 Corinthians 1:12, “¶For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity,  not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.“

The word “perfect” is τέλειος (teleios)G5046 , which in the original Greek does mean both “perfect” and “complete“, and is entirely consistent with Matthew 5:48, “Be ye therefore perfect (τέλειος (teleios)) G5046, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect (τέλειος (teleios))G5046.”

Hebrews 12:22, “¶But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect (τέλειος (teleios))G5046,“

Hebrews 5:14, “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age (τέλειος (teleios))G5046, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.“

And the segue to this chapter are the last four verses of Chapter 1, 1 Corinthians 1:28-31, “And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, [yea], and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” The last part of the last verse is repeated in 2 Corinthians 10:17, “But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.“

1 Corinthians 2:7, “But we speak the wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678 of God in a mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466, [even] the hidden (ἀποκρύπτω (apokryptō)G613 [wisdom], which God ordained (προορίζω (proorizō))G4309 before the world unto our glory:“

“Wisdom“

Regarding “wisdom” (σοφία (sophia))G4678 it is really referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, as we read in the preceding chapter in 1 Corinthians 1:30, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:”

“Mystery“

Ephesians 3:3-5, “How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466 of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;”

Remember when Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 4:11&12, “And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466, of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all [these] things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and [their] sins should be forgiven them.“

Colossians 1:26-29, “[Even] the mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466 which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466 among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect (τέλειος (teleios)) G5046 in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”

And we must also remember that Jesus Is The Embodiment of the mystery, as we read in
Colossians 2:2&3, “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466 of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.“

Moreover as we read in 1 Timothy 3:16, “And without controversy great is the mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466 of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

“Hidden“

Matthew 11:25, “At that time Jesus answered and said,I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid (ἀποκρύπτω (apokryptō)G613 these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.“

Ephesians 3:9, “And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship of the mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid (ἀποκρύπτω (apokryptō)G613 in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly [places] might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:“

“Ordained“

Not also that the original Greek word, προορίζω (proorizō)G4309, which is translated as “ordained” before, is the same word that is also translated as “predestinated” as we read in Romans 8:29&30, “For whom he did foreknow, he G4309 also did predestinate G4309 [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might bethe firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, G4309them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.“

All of this was predestined and foreordained before the world was even created!

1 Corinthians 2:8, “Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known [it], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.“

Not everyone “understands”. To most people, the Word of God is hidden, because there are only a few who have been granted the “ears to hear and the eyes to see.” Please listen carefully to the words of Jesus’ joyful prayer to God The Father…

Matthew 11:25-27, “¶At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal [him.]“

Similarly in Luke 10:21&22, “¶In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and [he] to whom the Son will reveal [him].

And please note carefully what Jesus said to His disciples “privately” in the very next two verses in Luke 10:23&24, ¶And he turned him unto [his] disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen [them]; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard [them].” The disciples (as “babes“) were able to see and hear, while to others, to the “wise and prudent” of the world, all these things remain “hid“. To them the Bible is a sealed book, and the knowledge of The Son and The Father is only revealed to the few to whom The Son chooses. As a result, there are very few who fully understand the profound significance of this hard teaching. Please see also the study on Isaiah Chapter 29: “A Book that is Sealed“. 

1 Corinthians 2:9, “¶But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

And here the Apostle Paul is referring back to Isaiah 64:4, “For since the beginning of the world [men] have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, [what] he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.“

Hebrews 11:16, “But now they desire a better [country], that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.“

Jesus Spoke In Parables to the Multitudes, and Jesus Explained Why

1 Corinthians 2:10, “But God hath revealed (ἀποκαλύπτω (apokalyptō))G601 [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth (ἐραυνάω (eraunaō))G2045 all things, yea, the deep things of God.“

Notice the juxtaposition of the words revealed and searcheth together. Proverbs 25:2, “[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter.” And God reveals those findings to the believers by His Holy Spirit. More details are in this post: Hidden Spiritual Gem #1 from the Bible: Proverbs 25:2 and the Hebrew Word “דָּבָר (dāḇār).

Also in Romans 8:26&27, “¶Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth G2045 the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God.“

God tells us plainly and specifically, in three passages in the Bible, why Jesus spoke in Parables (and because God ordained it, this fact is not widely known or discussed in our world because the carnal man finds it offensive):

  1. In Matthew 13:10-16 we read where the disciples questioned Jesus about His use of Parables, “And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He (Jesus) answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias (Isaiah 6:8-10), which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. But blessed [are] your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.” (Please see the Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eye)
  2. In Mark 4:10-12, “¶And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. And he (Jesus Christ speaking to His disciples) said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all [these] things are done in parables:  That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and [their] sins should be forgiven them.”
  3. In Luke 8:9&10, we read , “And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.“

One has to wonder, “How this can be?“, given that God states so very clearly and plainly how He uses parables to veil the mystery of the kingdom of God from unbelievers. This makes absolutely no sense from the perspective of normal human reasoning, and it is contrary to everything the world tells you about Christianity. This is because the reality is that salvation depends entirely on the supernatural intercession of God as He sees fit (Yes, whether one likes it or not, salvation is of the LORD!). Moreover, Jesus openly explains two of His parables (The Parable of the Sower as found in Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:3-9, Luke 8:5-8) which anyone in the world can readily (physically) read in Matthew 13:10-16, Mark 4:14-20, Luke 8:11-15 (together with the companion “Parable of the Wheat and the Tares” as found in Matthew 13:24-30, which Jesus explained in Matthew 13:36-43.)

So then, even when a parable is explained perfectly to someone who is not one of God’s elect/chosen, that parable will still mean absolutely NOTHING to an unbeliever beyond merely the intellectual! That person may understand what the words say, but not what the words mean. That is why at the end of the Sower parable, Jesus said respectively in Matthew 13:9, Mark 4:9, Luke 8:8 “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” and “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” and “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.“

This appears on the surface, intellectually, to not make any sense, and thereby raises the question, how is this possible? The answer to this conundrum is that even if a parable is clearly explained to a person who remains an unbeliever (one whom God does not intend to “hear” or “see” or “perceive” or “understand” the meaning), then the salvation imbuing essence (The Holy Spirit) will not be manifest…and the Word of God will still remain completely veiled or hidden to that person and that person will remain in an unsaved state. That is what makes true Christianity so scary, and so offensive, to the carnal man or woman.

For more detail on the meaning of Parables, and Why Jesus always employed them in His teachings to the multitudes, please see these three very important posts: Jesus’ Parables, the Road to Emmaus, Proverbs 25:2 and The Doctrine of Salvation by Election:

1 Corinthians 2:11, “For what man knoweth (εἴδω (eidō))G1492 the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.“

Proverbs 20:27, “The spirit of man [is] the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.”

Note how this harmonizes with what we find in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God [is] quick (meaning that it is “alive“), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.“ and Ephesians 6:17, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:“

And is not the Bible a “Spiritual Book? It was written entirely under the guidance and inspiration of God The Holy Spirit. Jesus made the connection between His Words and The Holy Spirit explicit in John 6:63, saying, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.“

Additional verses describing God’s Word as being synonymous with The Holy Spirit are found in 2 Samuel 23:2, “The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word [was] in my tongue.” and 1 Corinthians 12:8, “For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;“

And let us not forget what as been discussed in before regarding the Hidden Spiritual Gems in the Bible…In Proverbs 25:2 (KJV) we find this extraordinary verse, “[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter.” If we look carefully at the text as it reads in the original Hebrew using an Interlinear Bible or Online concordance cross-reference like this: https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/pro/25/2/t_conc_653002, we find that it can also read like this…”[It is] the glory of God to conceal a “word” (because it is from the Hebrew דָּבָר (dāḇār)H1697, a masculine noun): but the honour of kings[is] to search out a “word” (because the word that was translated into English as “matter” is also the same word found in the original Hebrew to be דָּבָר (dāḇār) H1697, which is translated more than eight hundred times in the Old Testament as “word.”)*.  It appears, therefore, that God is telling us that He is glorified by the concealing of The Word (Jesus Christ) in the Bible, and the believers are “honored” by being made able to search out The Word (Who is Jesus Christ) when reading the Bible.

Jeremiah 17:9&10, “The heart is deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, [I] try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, [and] according to the fruit of his doings.”

Romans 11:33, “¶O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable [are] his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?“

1 Corinthians 2:12, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of (ἐκ (ek))G1537 God; that we might know the things that are freely given (χαρίζομαι (charizomai))G5483 to us of (ὑπό (hypo))G5259 God.“

Romans 8:15, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.“

Note that the original Greek word translated as “freely given“is  (χαρίζομαι (charizomai))G5483, which actually means “graciously granted and forgiven”. The original Greek word that is translated as “of” is (ὑπό (hypo))G5259, which actually means “beneath” as in “covered by”.

The only way that anyone can “know” God and understand the things that are given by grace is to be a true child of God, a new (born again) creature in Christ. Only those who are “covered by” God can truly know Him. This verse comes to mind, Psalm 91:4, “He (God) shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth [shall be thy] shield and buckler.“

The Holy Spirit, He Teaches the Believer

1 Corinthians 2:13, “¶Which things also we speak (λαλέω (laleō))G2980, not in the words which man’s wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678 teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.“

This verse encapsulates GOD’S Hermeneutic…and the key to Bible interpretation!

John 4:24, “God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.”

John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.”

Jesus made clear the following: John 14:26, “But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.“

John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:“

John 16:7, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.“

Key to this passage is “comparing spiritual things with spiritual things”…and given that the Bible is Holy, and entirely inspired by the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God, then that statement is telling us that that we should be comparing Biblical scripture with Biblical scripture to gain God’s Wisdom (which is actually coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ Who is Wisdom, 1 Corinthians 1:30).

This is repeated and corroborated in 1 John 2:27, “But the anointing (χρῖσμα (chrisma))G5545 which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing (χρῖσμα (chrisma))G5545 teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.“ The anointing is of the Holy Spirit Who God the Father sent to the believers to lead them into all truth, and that Truth Is Jesus. John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that]shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” Note the consistency with John 14:26, “But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” and 1 John 2:20, “¶But ye have an unction (χρῖσμα (chrisma))G5545 from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” (Therefore “unction” also means “anointing”)

The Bible is its own interpreter, its own dictionary, its own Wikipedia! It is easy to think that a certain word or phrase has an obvious and clear meaning, but the issue is what does the Bible really mean by these words? The only correct answer to that question is to compare verses with other verses and see how the Bible defines its own terms. The Bible alone should limit our thinking about the words and phrases in the Bible. We must learn to abide by the Bible’s definitions and logic.

Anyone who claims to have knowledge from the Bible had better not be quoting men, but rather they had better be quoting Biblical scripture, alone…but even then, you, dear reader, had better be checking out what those preachers and teachers are quoting for yourself, from the Bible alone, as the Bereans did in the first century in Acts 17:10&11, and earnestly “searching the scriptures (the Bible) daily, whether those things were so.”

In 2 Peter 1:20&21, we are told, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved (φέρω (pherō)) by the Holy Ghost.“, and in 2 Peter 2:1&2, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.” 

Note: The original Greek word translated as “moved” is (φέρω (pherō)), which also means “borne” or “carried along”.

These latter verses are saying that if anyone gives forth an interpretation out of their own intellect or from the carnal minds of others that have taught them, they are false teachers and the truth is not in them.  (Even more ominous, they will receive the greater condemnation from God for that sin.)  But how are we to know which interpretation is out of a man’s mind as opposed to what God is really saying?  God provides us the answer, out of His Word, the Bible, as follows:

The Bible Is a Spiritual Book!

And we know from 2 Samuel 23:1&2, “¶Now these [be] the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man [who was] raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word [was] in my tongue.”  Clearly the word of God, the Bible, is spiritual, as it was written under the direction of the Holy Spirit.  So if we want to learn the true meaning of any verse, then we need to compare scripture with scripture (spiritual things with spiritual).  Furthermore, any revelation of truth from God’s word (which can only come through the use of this methodology) is solely the work of the Holy Spirit.  That is why in 1 John 2:27 we read, “But the anointing (χρῖσμα (chrisma))G5545 (of the Holy Spirit) which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing (χρῖσμα (chrisma))G5545 teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”  This is entirely consistent with what we read in John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

And we should also bear in mind: 1 John 5:7, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.“

Man’s Wisdom is Foolishness

1 Corinthians 3:18-21, “¶Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;“

1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know (γινώσκω (ginōskō))G1097 [them], because they are spiritually discerned (ἀνακρίνω (anakrinō))G350.”

This is extremely important! The natural man is NOT anointed with God’s Holy Spirit and without Him, it is impossible for the natural man to begin to grasp any saving understanding of what God is teaching the believers who have been given, by God, the Anointing of The Holy Spirit. This gets us back again to the Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eye and also again to “Why Did Jesus Speak in Parables?”

Note that the original Greek word for “know” is γινώσκω (ginōskō)G1097, which can also mean “perceive” or “understand“, and the original Greek word for “discerned” is (ἀνακρίνω (anakrinō))G350, which can also mean “examined” “scrutinized” or “judged”.

Mark 4:11&12, “And he (Jesus) said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all [these] things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and [their] sins should be forgiven them.” Please see “The Doctrine of Election“.

Matthew 16:23, “¶But he (Jesus) turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. Peter was thinking like a typical natural man, “carnally”, and not “spiritually”, as a child of God should.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25, “¶For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. ¶Where [is] the wise? where [is] the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.“

Where is Wisdom Found?

In Job 28 we read of Job’s “parable” (Yes, Job spoke in a “parable”, see: Job 27:1 and Job 29:1) regarding where Wisdom can be found…Job 28:12 &13, raises the question, “But where shall wisdom be found? and where [is]the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.” This is reiterated in Job 28:20&21,”Whence then cometh wisdom? and where [is] the place of understanding? Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.”

Psalm 103:20, “Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.“

Matthew 15:8&9, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.“

1 Timothy 6:20, “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane [and] vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:”

Jude 1:19, “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.“

Back again to 1 Corinthians 2:6, “¶Howbeit we speak wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678 among them that are perfect (τέλειος (teleios))G5046: yet not the wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678 of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:“

1 Corinthians 2:15, “But he that is spiritual judgeth (ἀνακρίνω (anakrinō))G350 all things, yet he himself is judged (ἀνακρίνω (anakrinō))G350 of no man.“

The word translated “judgeth” and “judged” is from the same original Greek word ἀνακρίνω (anakrinō)G350 which also means to examine, investigate, scrutinize, search, and “discern” (please see again above in the previous verse, 1 Corinthians 2:14).

Philippians 1:9, “¶And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and [in] all judgment (αἴσθησις (aisthēsis))G144;” Note: The original Greek word translated as “judgment” is (αἴσθησις (aisthēsis))G144, which can also be translated as “discernment“.

Ecclesiastes 8:5&6, “Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment. Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man [is] great upon him.” Note that the original Hebrew word that is here translated as “discerneth” is יָדַע (yāḏaʿ)H3045, which has also been translated into English by the King James translators variously as: know (645x), known (105x), knowledge (19x), perceive (18x), shew (17x), tell (8x), wist (7x), understand (7x), certainly (7x), acknowledge (6x), acquaintance (6x), consider (6x), declare (6x), teach (5x), miscellaneous (85x).

Also consider what we find in Ecclesiastes 3:14&15, “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth [it], that [men] should fear before him. That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past. ¶ And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, [that] wickedness [was] there; and the place of righteousness, [that] iniquity [was] there. ¶ I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for [there is] a time there for every purpose and for every work.“

1John 4:1, “¶Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.“

1 Corinthians 2:16, “For who hath known (γινώσκω (ginōskō))G1097 the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.“

Job 15:8, “Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?“

John 15:15, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.“

So we could also say that, only the believer (the child of God) is one to whom God has graciously given His Holy Spirit and “the mind of Christ.”

Conclusion

So the big question now is, are you, dear reader, a child of God? Do you yearn to more completely know, love and obey the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. Do you clearly see that only Jesus is the means by which a sinner can be saved from the just penalty for sin…or are the revelations of God just so much foolishness?

Let us all hearken to ALL the words that are found written by the same Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians in  2 Thessalonians Chapter 2, verses 1-17, particularly this warning 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.“

However, these verses are followed immediately thereafter with words of comfort for the Believers.

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17, “¶But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. ¶Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father,  which hath loved us, and hath given [us] everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word  and work.“

Postscript

We should also take a moment to consider the fact that God increases (adds to) a believer’s wisdom and knowledge and understanding of the scriptures. A believer is already accounted as having been given wisdom and knowledge and understanding by God through the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit when that person becomes saved.

The believer is who Jesus was speaking of in Mark 4:21-25, “And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.¶And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.” and also in Luke 8:16-18, “¶No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth [it] under a bed; but setteth [it] on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457.For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither [any thing] hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.“

And that word “seemeth” is from the original Greek word δοκέω (dokeō)G1380, which is better translated as “thinks”. Many people “think” that they are right with God, by taking upon them the name of Jesus Christ (hence “Christians”) for their salvation, but sadly they are not truly saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ Alone.

The souls of the lost sinners who become saved are to glorify God by sharing the Light of Gospel of Salvation so that more lost sinners might be found.

Jesus Christ is the Light

Here we are told that if we have been enlightened φωτίζω (phōtizō)G5461 by the Holy Spirit with the Light φωτισμός (phōtismos)G5462 of Christ dwelling in us, that Light (φῶς (phōs))G5457 will shine forth. These verses help to underscore this point:

  • Genesis 1:3&4, “¶And God said, Let there be light (אוֹר (‘ôr))H216: and there was light (אוֹר (‘ôr))H216. And God saw the light (אוֹר(‘ôr))H216, that [it was] good: and God divided the light (אוֹר (‘ôr))H216 from the darkness.“
  • John 1:4&5,” In him (Jesus, The Word) was life; and the life was the light (φῶς (phōs)) G5457 of men. And the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457 shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.“
  • John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457 of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457 of life“.
  • John 9:5, Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457 of the world.”
  • Matthew 5:14-16, “Ye are the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457 of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light (λάμπω (lampō))G2989 unto all that are in the house. Let your light (φῶς (phōs))G5457 so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
  • Luke 2:32, “A light (φῶς (phōs)) G5457 to lighten (ἀποκάλυψις(apokalypsis))G602 (reveal to) the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
  • 2 Corinthians 4:3&4, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light (φωτισμός (phōtismos))G5462 of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.“
  • 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who commanded the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457 to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light φωτισμός (phōtismos)G5462 of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
  • 2 Timothy 1:10, “But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light (φωτίζω (phōtizō))G5461 through the gospel:“
  • 1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light (φῶς (phōs)G5457, as he is in the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.“

Only those with hearing ears will hear, and those who have will be given more

Remember again back in Matthew 13:10-13, “¶And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? ¶He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.” So then, in effect, those who are hearers will be the ones to “hear”.

And let us take particular note of the re-iterated point about those who have, being given more, and those who have not, losing what they have. Whosoever “hath” (e.g., a believer has wisdom, knowledge, and understanding) even more shall be given, but whoever “hath not” (e.g. the unsaved does not have wisdom, knowledge, and understanding), even that which that person “seemeth” (or thinks) to have will be taken away. This statement is beyond profound, and quite ominous too, and yet it is entirely consistent with our Holy and Perfect God and His Equity. Commensurately, it is therefore also entirely consistent with all the other scriptures in the Bible, particularly with what we have all just read and pondered from 2 Corinthians, Chapter 2.

And please note how closely this point correlates with what we read back in the Old Testament in Daniel 2:20-22, “¶Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what [is] in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.” God gives wisdom to those who are already wise, and knowledge to those who already have understanding. God reveals the deep and secret things that are hidden within the scriptures to the believer! Hallelujah! Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

Remember what we are also later told in Daniel 2:28-30 [being aware that the word in Hebrew is רָז (rāz)H7328, which means “to conceal” or “secret” and is taken from Aramaic, and therefore only appears in the Book of Daniel]: “But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets (רָז (rāz))H7328, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came [into thy mind] upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets (רָז (rāz))H7328 maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. But as for me, this secret (רָז (rāz))H7328 is not revealed to me for [any] wisdom that I have more than any living, but for [their] sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.” Anyone who has ever been granted the privilege of spiritual understanding of the Bible, God’s Holy Word and by it the knowledge of The Father and The Son, will readily assent to this declaration by Daniel.

Finally, We must also remember what Jesus said in Luke 12:48, “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” The more wisdom and understanding God graciously grants a person from His Word, the greater the responsibility that person will have to use it to His Glory! Which brings to mind Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.“

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