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To: Jamey who wrote (19260)	7/18/1998 10:02:00 PM
From: Jamey	Respond to of 39621

Parable of the Sower (continued) Again in this parable postmillenarians search in vain for confirmation that the Gospel is going to triumph over evil at the end of the age and that the church will be presented triumphantly to Christ at his second coming. Rather there is the dual development of good and evil with, if any thing, evil growing and good declining. Likewise, there is no justification for the amillermial contention that this parable fulfills the kingdom promises of the Old Testament. Rather it describes the age between the first and second coming of Christ. It aptly describes what has happened in the two thousand years since the first coming of Christ-some have received the true message while others have followed false doctrine. Scripture implies an increase in wrong doctrine at the end of the age, as prophesied by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1-9. The context of Matthew 13 is the revelation of the kingdom in its mystery form as the alternative to bringing in the millennial kingdom previously announced. The age being described is a mystery not revealed in the Old Testament but revealed in the New. THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED (MA1THEW 13:3I-32; MARK4:30~32) The parable of the mustard seed illustrates another aspect of the kingdom of heaven-that is, that it will have a rapid and substantial growth. The plant here envisioned is one that has hundreds of tiny seeds, each of which has the capacity to produce a plant. Concerning this, Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches" (Matt. 13:31-32). The church, like a mustard seed, had a small beginning- Jesus and his disciples outwardly seemed like a small and insignificant beginning for a great undertaking. Yet in the centuries that have followed, the professing church has become a gigantic institution, including millions of individuals. Some have pointed out that the mustard seed is not the smallest of all seeds, as, for instance, the orchid has even smaller seeds. However, in Christ's presentation it is not actually called the smallest but a comparative form, indicating that the seed is "smaller" than others (Gr. mikroteron). Though there are smaller seeds elsewhere in the world, in the Holy Land the mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds planted. The argument that this proves an inaccuracy in the saying of Christ is therefore without basis. It is significant that in Mark 4:3,32 the same parable is related to the kingdom of God. Most expositors regard the kingdom of heaven as the equivalent of the kingdom of God, and explain it on the grounds that Matthew, like many Jews, did not like to use the word God and used heaven instead. Actually, Matthew refers to the kingdom of God several times. In Matthew's gospel there seems to be a difference in the usage of "kingdom of heaven," justifying the conclusion that it refers to the sphere of profession in contrast to "kingdom of God," which always refers only to those who are saved or, in the case of angels, holy. What is true of the sphere of profession, however, is also true of those who are genuinely saved, as both the professing church and the true church have grown tremendously from a small beginning. Accordingly, the same parable can be used to illustrate both. A further note should be made of the fact that Jesus said that "the birds of the air come and perch in its branches" (Matt. 13:32-), indicating that related to rhe rapid growth of the church are those who are not even professing believers. As in the case of the parable of th sower and the parable of the seed, imperfection is a major feature of the present age, contradicting the postmilf lenarlan concept that these parables picture a growin spiritual conquest by the church. That the church, both in its profession and true believers, has reached a large proportion in the world is certainly true; that it has overcome the unbelievers and the world as a whole is false. (continued) Santiago

To: Jamey who wrote (19260)	7/18/1998 10:14:00 PM
From: Jamey	Respond to of 39621

THE PARABLE OF THE HIDDEN TREASURE ( MATTHEW I 3:44 ) Continuing his revelation concerning the kingdom of heaven, Jesus likened it to a treasure hidden in a field. He described how a man finds a treasure, hides it to prevent anyone else from finding it, and thcn in his joy sells all that he has to buy the field. This parable, like others, has been subject to diverse interpretations. A common idea is that the parable represents the salvation of an individual who discovering Christ, sells all to obtain Christ. Though it is true that there is a putting aside of all earthly wealth in a sense in order to have Christ, this is not an accu rate presentation of receiving Christ as Savior. It is true that Paul stated, "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith" (Phil. 3:8-9). In salvation, however, an individual coming to Christ comes bankrupt as far as any capacity to buy salvation. Christ is not for sale, and salvation is not earned or deserved but is bestowed as a gift of grace. It is far better, therefore, to explain the treasure in another sense. In the Jewish background from which Jesus is speaking, Israel is God's treasure. According to Exodus 19:5 God declared of Israel, "You will be my treasured possession." Psalm 135:4 says, "For the LORD has chosen Jacob to be his own, Israel to be his treasured possession." The fact that the treasure is hidden in a field is all too evident today. Though Israel is a recognized entity in the world, she is not regarded as a treasure of God, but her true nature is hidden in the mass of human population. From God's standpoint, however, Israel is the jewel in the midst of the world, and when Christ died on the cross, one of his essential purposes was to redeem Israel and provide grace to support the many promises God had given her. It was Jesus who sold all in order to secure his treasure in dying on the cross for the sins of the world. (Phil. 2:7-8; 1 Peter 1:18-19). it is contradictory to the concept of salvation by grace for an individual to secure Christ by selling what he himself possesses. THE PARABLE OF THE PEARL (MATTHEW I3:45-46) Like the parable of the treasure, the parable of the pearl represents a merchant selling all that he has in order to buy a pearl. As in the parable of the treasure, the common interpretation uses this as a description of what a person does when he forsakes all to be a believer in Christ. This interpretation again is derived from the faulty postmillennial idea that this chapter pictures a triumphant church leading up to the second coming of Christ. This interpretation also raises questions about salvation by grace and where works enter in. The merchant here is Christ, not the believer, and it is Christ who gives up all to purchase the pearl. A believer has nothing to justify identifying him with the merchant who sells all, as it is impossible for anyone to purchase salvation by anything he does or possesses. Though this is not explained in the Bible, the pearl seems to represent the church as a jewel-unusual in the sense that it grows out of an irritation in an oyster. It can portray the role of the church as growing out of the wounded side of Christ. Just as the parable of the treasure pictures Christ's dying for Israel as his treasure, so this parable can be interpreted as referring to Christ's dying for his church. This interpretation has far fewer complications and is more in keeping with the doctrine of grace. (continued) Santiago