Search
The kingdom is the sphere for the reigning of the heavens. A regenerated, saved person is one whom the Lord has separated from the world; as such, he ought to submit to the Lord’s authority, allow the heavens to reign in him, and live the kingdom life in reality. However, because Satan’s work came in and caused complications, today the kingdom has three aspects—its reality, its appearance, and its manifestation.
The Gospel of Matthew is a book specifically concerning the kingdom. We can clearly see the reality, appearance, and manifestation of the kingdom in three sections of this book. Chapters 5 through 7, composed of the teaching spoken on the mountain, reveal the reality of the kingdom, that is, the life under the reigning of the heavens. Chapter 13, composed of the parables spoken beside the sea, contains prophecies concerning the appearance of the kingdom. Chapters 24 through 25, composed of the prophecies spoken on the Mount of Olives, deal with the manifestation of the kingdom, which refers to Christ’s reigning with the overcomers for a thousand years in His second coming.
Let us first look at the progression of the church. In Matthew 13, while speaking beside the sea, the Lord used seven parables to show the progression of the church. The first parable refers to the situation of the Lord’s preaching at that time. In this parable the sower signifies the Lord Jesus, and the seed signifies the word of life of the kingdom (v. 3). The Lord’s word, as a seed, contains life. The heart of man is signified by the earth. The hearts of those who hear the Lord’s word are divided into four categories in this parable. The first category is beside the way, which refers to a place close to the way often traveled on by people. It signifies a heart that is hardened by worldly traffic, which makes it difficult for the seed to penetrate it. Hence, it is easy for the birds of heaven, signifying the devil, to devour the word that is heard by those whose heart is in this condition (vv. 4, 19).
The second category is the rocky places, signifying a heart with hidden sins and the world as “rocks” deep within it. Apparently, it is easy for someone with this kind of heart to receive the Lord’s word and for the word to spring up and grow quickly. However, because the sins and the world deep within this person are not dealt with, he is stumbled when trials come (vv. 5-6, 20-21). The third category is the earth with thorns, which signifies a heart filled with the anxiety of the age and the deceitfulness of riches. Although the Lord’s word springs up and grows in such a heart, it cannot flourish or yield rich fruit (vv. 7, 22). The fourth category is the good earth, signifying a heart that does not have the aforementioned three problems but rather receives the Lord’s word and allows it not only to grow but even to bear fruit up to a hundredfold (vv. 8, 23).
When the Lord came out to sow, the kingdom of the heavens was only near; it had still not come. Hence, in the first parable the Lord did not say, “The kingdom of the heavens is (or, has become) like...” In the second parable, however, the kingdom of the heavens had come. Thus, the Lord said, “The kingdom of the heavens has become like a man sowing good seed in his field” (v. 24). In this parable, following the Lord’s sowing, the crop grew up (vv. 25-30). This indicates that the seed sown by the Lord in the three and a half years of His ministry would grow up on the day of Pentecost. Not long after Pentecost, however, because the Lord’s servants were not watchful, the devil mixed in the unsaved ones, signified by tares, among the saved ones. Hence, there were false Christians among the true Christians. At that time the appearance of the kingdom began, and the church became Christendom. The significance of the church is that it is the called-out assembly, the gathering of a group of people whom God has called out from the world. However, Christendom includes not only this group of people but also many who have not received the life of God. Therefore, the reality of the kingdom is with the church, whereas Christendom is mainly the appearance of the kingdom. All those who live in the reality of the kingdom are definitely in the church, but all those who are in Christendom are in the appearance of the kingdom but may not be in the church.
Here we can see three realms: the reality of the kingdom, the church, and Christendom. In principle, the realm of the church should be the same as the realm of the reality of the kingdom. However, there are some who have been saved yet do not live in the reality of the kingdom. The church is composed of a group of people who have the Lord’s life and whom He has separated from the world. They may have different gifts when serving, but they do not have any distinction when gathering before the Lord. We must rid ourselves of all the things in Christendom that are incompatible with the church. We are not in Christendom. Rather, we live under the reigning of the heavens; that is, we live the life described in Matthew 5 through 7. This is to be in the reality of the kingdom.
In principle, there should be no unsaved ones in the church. However, the Lord does permit the tares, the false believers, to exist in Christendom. When the Lord’s servants suggested that they collect the tares, the Lord did not permit them; rather, He allowed the tares to grow with the wheat in the field (13:28-30). The field in this parable signifies the world. The Lord allows the genuine Christians and the false Christians to grow together in the world, because He fears that if the false Christians are destroyed, the genuine Christians may also be destroyed with them. However, the fact that the Lord does not allow the false Christians to be destroyed does not mean that He forbids the separation of the unsaved ones from the church. According to the Scriptures, even one who has believed and been saved but has committed a gross sin should be removed from the church (1 Cor. 5:2). When the Lord comes, at the time of the harvest, only then will He collect the false Christians out of the world and cast them into the fire.
The third parable speaks of the expansion and enlargement of the appearance of Christendom (Matt. 13:31-32). The church was originally small, like an herb from a mustard seed. An herb is not only small but also annual, indicating that the church is small and that it sojourns on the earth, that is, that it is transitory. However, because of the addition of the tares, the false Christians, to the church, the nature of the church changed; the small herb became a great tree. A tree is a perennial plant. The church thus became Christendom; a sojourner became a permanent dweller. In church history the prophecy in this parable was fulfilled in A.D. 313 when the Roman Emperor Constantine accepted Christianity. Tens of thousands of Romans who did not even understand the gospel followed the trend and became Christians. At the same time the emperor and the high officials all shared the same religion and had the same faith. This caused the church, which had been despised, persecuted, small, and sojourning on the earth, to become Christendom, which was honored, respected, great, and settled on the earth. A small herb became a great tree, and birds came and roosted in its branches. In Matthew 13:32 the word birds is in the plural number, referring to Satan, his angels, and people who belong to Satan. They have all found a dwelling place in Christianity. Today anyone can roost in the branches of Christianity and even make a living from it.
The mustard seed refers to the grain of life, and the mustard plant refers to the church. The mustard seed refers to the Lord’s life and the Lord’s word. From this seed the church, signified by the mustard plant, is produced to supply people with life and to nourish them. The mustard is an annual herb. In this parable, however, its nature is changed, and it expands to become a great tree. In the principle of God’s creation, everything should be according to its kind; only what is according to its kind is from God (Gen. 1:11-12). The mustard in this parable changed in nature and became a great tree, bringing confusion into God’s creation. All confusion comes from Satan. He added into the church many who were not saved, those who bore the name of Christian but had no reality. As a result, the mustard changed its nature and became a great tree. The mustard refers to the church, which is hidden, despised, and often trampled by man; the great tree refers to Christendom, which is manifest, honored, and not easily oppressed by man. We must be humble and not covet any worldly fame. In this way we will not become the great tree.
Spiritually speaking, the more we recover the ground and the nature of the church, the more we will not only be like mustard but will even be mustard. Using animals to illustrate, we are not like lions or tigers but are like small doves and lambs. Using plants to illustrate, we are not like great trees; rather, we are like herbs, which are often trampled by man yet do not resist. If man tramples us to the uttermost, even into the ground, we must remember that the grain that falls into the ground will still grow up. Our only power is the life within. Herbs are for nourishing man. Thus, among us there should not be many talented ones who are like trees; rather, there should be many who are like herbs for people to eat and be supplied. Our service today should be like an herb that feeds and supplies people inwardly rather than a great tree that is manifested outwardly. Paul was truly talented, yet he was not a great tree but a very sweet herb that supplied not only those in his time but also us today. Therefore, we should not have great trees among us but only herbs. Our meeting halls should not bear the appearance of cathedrals; that would indicate the condition of being a tree. Instead, our meeting halls should be only for covering us from the sun and shielding us from the rain, for we are an herb, not a great tree.
In the fourth parable the kingdom of the heavens is likened to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until the whole was leavened (Matt. 13:33). Leaven signifies the corrupted content of Christendom. In this parable the woman mentioned by the Lord is the great harlot in Revelation 17. Reputable Bible expositors agree that this refers to the Roman Catholic Church. The church’s position before the Lord should be that of a chaste virgin. However, the church has changed in nature to become Christendom, which is like an adulterous woman.
The work of this adulterous woman is to mix leaven into the three measures of meal, thereby causing the whole to be leavened. In the Bible fine flour signifies Christ as food to God’s people, such as the fine flour used in the meal offering in the Old Testament (Lev. 2:1-7). This enables God’s people to receive God’s life and nourishment. However, this woman added leaven to the fine flour. The principle of leaven is to make things easy to eat. The Roman Catholic Church, signified by the woman, added leaven to the fine flour. This leaven includes heresy. The Roman Catholic Church teaches people to receive the teaching in the New Testament, while at the same time bringing in Gentile customs to make it easy to eat, easy to receive. Although the Catholic Church takes the truth as the basis for everything she does, the mixture of heresy has been added. In Revelation the church in Thyatira, to whom one of the seven epistles was written, is the fulfillment of this fourth parable (2:18-29). The woman in this parable is Jezebel. According to this parable, Christianity is not merely great in appearance but also has become corrupted in content.
The parable concerning leaven was fulfilled beginning with the formation of the Roman Catholic Church. When the Catholic Church was formed, in God’s eyes she was an adulterous woman. God’s creation was corrupted by Satan through a woman (Gen. 3:1-6). In principle, the church that God redeemed also was corrupted by Satan through a woman. For this reason God does not permit women to teach in the church (1 Cor. 14:34-35; 1 Tim. 2:11-12; cf. 1 Cor. 11:5). This is because, in principle, all the heresies were brought in by a woman; it was a woman who brought in the leaven. Both the Catholic Church and the Protestant churches believe in their own creeds more than in the Bible. They would twist the word in the Scriptures in order to give the word of the Catholic Church a higher position. When the word in the Scriptures differs from the word of the Catholic Church, they would rather listen to the word of the Church. The Roman Catholic Church is the adulterous woman who brought in heresy. Everything the Bible teaches is centered on Christ, who is signified by the fine flour in the parable. However, the Catholic Church as the evil woman has mixed things other than Christ, corrupted things, into the teaching of the Bible.
We believe only the Bible, not the teaching of the so-called Church. To believe the teachings of the Church, in principle, is to allow a woman to teach. This goes against the teaching in the Bible. The reason the sisters cover their heads is to demonstrate that we acknowledge God’s authority. The reason we do not allow women to teach is to show that we do not accept the mixed teaching of the so-called Church. We accept only the Lord Himself and the truth that He reveals to us in His Word. We do not accept the heresies brought in by the convenient methods of that woman. We eat only fine flour and solid food, not leaven or leavened meal. We need to realize that it is easy to be a member of the Catholic Church or of the Episcopalian Church, but it is not very easy to be a Christian among us. This is because we eat solid food, which is hard, whereas they eat leavened meal, which is very soft. Therefore, we should not consider it to be a good thing when people say that our messages are easy to understand. Neither should we be disappointed when people say, “This word is hard; who can hear it?” (John 6:60). The saved ones must eat fine flour and solid food. Although it is not easy to eat this kind of food, we must eat it.
We would rather that our preaching be difficult to understand than add leaven to it; we would rather that our work be slow than add leaven to it. The principle of our work is that we depend only on prayer and not on social activities. We should not seek a quick result in the Lord’s work. The Lord’s work on the earth for three and a half years apparently did not yield many results. If leaven is added to anything, the number of people who welcome it and eat it will increase immediately; however, the proper condition will be lost immediately. Today many in Christianity are lions and tigers, not lambs; they have power and position in an organization and do everything by relying on that organization. The more we observe the situation in the Catholic Church and the Protestant churches, the more we can see the fulfillment of the Lord’s prophecy in the parables in Matthew 13. However, these parables were understood neither by the people at the Lord’s time nor by those in Christendom today.
Matthew 13:1 and 3 say, “Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea...And He spoke many things to them in parables.” When the Lord spoke beside the sea, the people did not understand Him; only those who followed the Lord into the house could understand Him (v. 36). Those who were beside the sea signify people who live in the world; they do not understand the Lord’s words. Those who were in the house signify people who are hidden and have the Lord’s presence; only they can understand His speaking. The Lord spoke the parables beside the sea but explained them only after He went into the house (vv. 34, 36). Today many people do not understand these parables because they remain beside the sea. We are able to understand the parables because we are willing to follow the Lord into the house.
Matthew 5 through 7 speaks of the reality of the kingdom, which does not involve the element of time; chapter 13 speaks of the appearance of the kingdom, which does involve the element of time. The Lord spoke the first parable concerning a time when the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens had not yet begun; it was in the second parable that the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens began. The first four parables in chapter 13 were spoken publicly to the crowds beside the sea; the final three parables were shared privately to His disciples in the house. This indicates that the things covered by these latter three parables are more hidden.
In the fifth parable the Lord said, “The kingdom of the heavens is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid, and in his joy goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field” (v. 44). The field here refers to the world in the positive sense; it signifies the earth that God created and desires to gain for His kingdom. According to the Old Testament, a treasure refers to the wealth of a nation, as seen in King Hezekiah’s showing all the treasures of the kingdom of Judah to the envoys sent by the king of Babylon (2 Kings 20:13). Thus, the treasure in this parable signifies the kingdom. The treasure hidden in the field signifies God’s authority, that is, the kingdom, hidden on the earth that God created and desires to gain. This shows that the reason God created the earth is to gain the earth so that He may have the ground to rule on the earth and establish His kingdom. Hence, the kingdom is a treasure in God’s eyes.
The kingdom is the treasure hidden on the God-created earth; it was hidden from the foundation of the world and was found by a man at a certain time. This man was the Lord Jesus; He found, or discovered, the kingdom. When the Lord came out to preach, He found the kingdom that had been hidden by God from the foundation of the world. However, as a result of His being rejected by the Jews, the Lord hid the kingdom again. Prior to Matthew 13 the Lord found the kingdom, but in chapter 13 He hid it again.
The parable in Matthew 13:44 reveals that from the foundation of the world God never made this kingdom known to man. It was not until the Lord Jesus came that someone found it. After the Lord found the kingdom, He hid it again and then sold all that He had by going to the cross in order to redeem the God-created earth. Because the Lord has redeemed the earth, naturally, He will one day gain the treasure on the earth. The treasure being hidden in the field shows that since the foundation of the world, man has been able to see only the earth created by God but not its significance. Its significance has been a mystery hidden from the foundation of the world. Those in the Old Testament, such as Abraham and Isaiah, did not see this treasure. It was not until the Lord came to the earth that a man found it.
In verse 44 the word man is in the singular form; it refers to the Lord Jesus. The Lord came to obtain the kingdom but was rejected by the Jews. Because they rejected Him, Matthew 11:25 says that the things concerning the Lord were hidden from the wise and intelligent. Because the lawyers and Pharisees thought that they were the wise, the Lord hid these things from them. At the same time, the Lord revealed them to the foolish, that is, to the disciples, who were lowly fishermen.
In the fifth parable there are two “hidings.” The first is “hidden in the field,” and the second is “found and hid” (13:44). These two hidings can be explained by using the Scriptures. The first hiding is related to the hidden things mentioned in verse 35; the kingdom was hidden from the foundation of the world. The explanation of the second hiding is found in 11:25, which says, “You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent.” The hiding in this verse took place because the Jews forsook the Lord. Although the Lord did many signs, the Jews still would not believe. The Lord’s doing signs was a matter of authority; His sending the disciples to cast out demons was also a matter of authority. Authority is the kingdom. In Matthew 12:28 the Lord said to those Jews, “If I, by the Spirit of God, cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” However, because they rejected the kingdom, the Lord again hid it.
In chapter 11 this second hiding was not yet fulfilled. It was fulfilled in chapter 12 when the Lord cast out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit, showing the coming of the authority of the kingdom, yet the Jews said that He cast out the demons by the ruler of the demons (v. 24). Hence, the Lord said that they would not be forgiven (v. 32). From that time on, the Lord made a break with them and put them outside the kingdom. The Lord told them clearly that His casting out the demons by the Holy Spirit was the kingdom of God coming upon them, yet they rejected the kingdom. Thus, the Lord hid the kingdom from them and shut them outside the kingdom. At the end of chapter 12 the Lord said, “Whoever does the will of My Father who is in the heavens, he is My brother and sister and mother” (v. 50). This was the Lord’s rejecting of His relatives in the flesh, that is, the Jews. It showed that He would hide the kingdom from them and reveal it to those who do the will of God.
Following this, in chapter 13 the Lord spoke in parables concerning the kingdom in order to hide the kingdom from the Jews. On one hand, He spoke in parables in order to hide the kingdom, and on the other hand, He explained it clearly to the disciples. This was to hide it from the wise and reveal it to the humble.
The parable of the treasure unveils that the kingdom has been hidden twice. It was absolutely hidden the first time and was not at all manifested. It was half hidden the second time, meaning that it is hidden to the people who live in the world but revealed to the disciples. Today even the great figures in the world do not understand the meaning of this treasure. After the Lord concealed this treasure the second time, He gave up all that He had in order to purchase the field (the earth) so that He could obtain the kingdom, which is hidden on the earth. However, in order for God to obtain the kingdom, He must first gain a group of people. It is not enough for God to have only the earth as the sphere; He must also gain man in order that man might rule on the earth. Hence, there is the sixth parable, the parable of the pearl.
The sixth parable is the parable of the pearl. We have seen that the treasure refers to the kingdom that God desires to obtain on the earth. The pearl refers to the church as the life pulse of the kingdom. Only when there is the church can there be the kingdom. The kingdom depends entirely on the church. Hence, after Matthew 16 says that the church is built upon the rock, it goes on to say that the keys of the kingdom of the heavens would be given to Peter (vv. 18-19). This means that without the church, there is no kingdom; without a group of people who are like a pearl of great value, there is no way to obtain the kingdom as the treasure.
According to the facts, the church comes first, then the kingdom. However, because the emphasis of the Gospel of Matthew is the kingdom, it mentions the kingdom first and then the church. In order for God to obtain the kingdom in the universe, He must first gain the church. Hence, after speaking the parable of the treasure, the Lord spoke concerning the pearl. The treasure was hidden in the field, which refers to the world in the positive sense, the earth created by God. The pearl came from the sea, which refers to the world in the negative sense, the world usurped by Satan. The treasure is always on the earth, but the pearl comes out of the sea and is separated from the sea. This pearl comprises all the saved ones, who constitute the unique church. In order for the Lord to obtain the kingdom, He must gain this church. Hence, He sold all that He had to obtain this pearl. This is another aspect of the meaning of the cross.
On one hand, the Lord redeemed the whole earth; on the other hand, He purchased back those whom He desires to gain. In His eyes these are the pearl. The pearl refers to the church, which comes out of the sea, the Satan-usurped world. The church is composed of those who are called out from the world. Today we are those who have been delivered from the world; in the future we will be those who inherit the kingdom, which is the world in which we will rule in the future. We have been delivered out of the world signified by the sea, but we will inherit the world—the earth—signified by the field. As pearls, we are delivered from the world signified by the sea, but as precious stones, we will inherit the world signified by the field in the future. Therefore, in the New Jerusalem in Revelation the pearls are the gates, the entrance, which come first, and the precious stones are the wall of the city, which comes second (21:19-21). When entering the New Jerusalem, one first passes through the gates; then one comes to the wall built with precious stones. Today as pearls, we have already come out of the world, but as the treasure, we remain hidden on the earth.
A pearl is produced by an oyster that has been wounded by a grain of sand. This signifies that the believers, or the church, are produced from the wounding of Christ on the cross. The treasure, consisting mainly of precious stones, is formed from the burning heat and intense pressure in the earth. This signifies that after we are saved, we need to pass through the burning of the Holy Spirit and the intense pressure of trials in order to gain a spiritual composition and constitution. Only those who receive the life that the Lord released on the cross can be the pearl; only those who have a spiritual constitution by allowing the Holy Spirit to burn them and by passing through the intense pressure of the environment can be the treasure. When a person experiences the burning of the Holy Spirit, the intense pressure of the environment, the constitution of the Holy Spirit, and the ruling of the heavens, he becomes a treasure. If there is adequate pressure, there will be not only the gates of pearls but also the wall of precious stones; this is what the Lord obtained by selling all that He had on the cross. Moreover, the Lord desires that we submit to His authority. When we become precious stones, there will be the kingdom, the authority. Pearls denote life; precious stones denote authority. The pearls are the entrance; the precious stones are the built-up wall.
Today God’s life is already in us, but His authority is still in the process of being constituted into us. The church certainly exists today, but there are still many matters to be worked out concerning the kingdom. The fifth and sixth parables in Matthew 13 concern the reality of the church in the Lord’s recovery; the second through the fourth parables concern the appearance of the kingdom, that is, the condition of Christendom in general. We should not be involved with the tares, the great tree, or the leaven; rather, we must be the treasure and the pearl. We must be delivered from the tares, the great tree, and the leaven, but we must gain the essence and expression of the treasure of precious stones and the pearl.
In summary, the seven parables in Matthew 13 can be divided into four groups. The first parable shows that the kingdom of the heavens had drawn near. The second through the fourth parables reveal the situation of Christendom. The fifth and sixth parables unveil the reality of the church in the Lord’s recovery. Finally, the seventh parable concerns the ushering in of the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.
The first parable portrays the Lord’s coming out to preach the word of life and sow the seed of life in preparation for the kingdom. The second parable is based on this word of life, for the wheat in this parable grows out of the seed of life. The mustard plant in the third parable also grows out of this seed. The fine flour in the fourth parable is formed by the grinding of the wheat grown in the second parable. However, because tares are added to the wheat and leaven is added to the fine flour, the mustard plant becomes a great tree. This shows that the kingdom altogether depends on life; in other words, authority depends on life. The extent to which we allow God’s life to rule in us is the extent to which God’s kingdom, God’s authority, will be expressed. Whenever a brother allows God’s life to operate in him, spiritual authority will be seen in him. The wheat, the mustard herb, and the fine flour are all good for food and are life-sustaining and supplying. All three grow out of life. Hence, the second group of parables reveals mainly that the kingdom has life-sustaining food. This indicates that the heavenly ruling is filled with life-sustaining food.
Although a pearl implies growth, it also signifies constitution. A pearl is produced by the overlaying of a grain of sand with the life-juice of an oyster. Hence, although a pearl implies growth, the emphasis is on constitution. The treasure, however, is entirely a matter of constitution. Because the treasure is in the earth, it must be a constitution of precious stones and gold. Pearl, precious stones, and gold are the appearance of the coming New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:18-21).
Thus, the third group shows the preciousness of the kingdom. This group focuses not on its life-sustaining aspect but on its preciousness. Because Matthew 13:46 says that the man went and sold all that he had and bought the pearl, it implies the preciousness, the worth, of the kingdom. The world today is filled with the great tree; every place is filled with the things of Christianity. Yet few have paid attention to the life-sustaining food, and still fewer have seen the treasure within. Today people see only the great tree and the leaven; few have seen the wheat, the herb, and the fine flour, and almost no one has seen the value of the kingdom as the pearl and the treasure. The second through the fifth parables reveal that when we truly live by the Lord’s life, we will be a life supply of food to others and a priceless treasure to the Lord. Being a life supply of food is a result of the Lord’s life growing in us through His word. Having great value is a result of the Lord’s being wounded so that we may receive His life and become a precious pearl. Then through the burning of the Holy Spirit and the pressure of our environment, we can eventually become precious stones. On one hand, we are food to man; on the other hand, we are the pearl and the treasure to the Lord.
The parables of the treasure and the pearl refer to the world in two aspects. The Lord’s desire is that we be delivered from the world, signified by the sea, and learn to live in the world, that is, on the earth, signified by the field. In order to be delivered from the world as the sea, we need to be delivered entirely from the sphere of Satan; in order to live on the earth as the field, we need to submit to God’s authority and obey His will. Because the pearl comes out of the sea, we must be delivered from the negative aspect of the world, but because the treasure is hidden in the field, we must obey God’s will and submit to His authority on the earth that God created and desires to gain. Pearls are worthless in the sea; they become valuable only when they are taken out of the sea. But it is in the sea that the oysters are wounded, which indicates that the Lord produced the pearl after He was wounded in the world.
The work produced from wood, grass, and stubble mentioned in 1 Corinthians 3:12 is related to the second group of the parables here. Grass corresponds to the tares, wood corresponds to the great tree, and stubble corresponds to the stalk that remains after wheat is harvested to produce flour. The work of the Roman Catholic Church today is all wood, grass, and stubble, a lifeless work, a work that cannot supply life to man. The work produced from gold, silver, and precious stones in the same verse in 1 Corinthians corresponds to the third group of parables in Matthew 13. Before man we should be an herb and fine flour; before God we should be pearl and precious stones. We should not be great before man; rather, we should be willing to humble ourselves to be a small herb and fine flour. We should never decide to use any means necessary in order to gain what we are after. We must always be delivered from the tares, the leaven, and the great tree. Our value is known only by the Lord; the pearl and the treasure are hidden today. Not until the Lord’s return will they be manifested.
In the seventh parable in Matthew 13 the Lord said that the kingdom of the heavens is like a net cast into the sea and gathering from every species (v. 47). This shows that there is not only the pearl in the sea but also every species. Every species refers to every tribe, signifying all the nations, all the Gentiles. The net in this parable signifies the eternal gospel preached to the Gentile world during the great tribulation (Rev. 14:6). It is unlike the gospel we preach and hear today, which is the gospel of grace, or the gospel of forgiveness.
Let us compare the gospel of grace and the eternal gospel. The gospel of grace is preached by the saved ones. Angels are not qualified to preach the gospel of grace. Hence, the angel asked Cornelius to send for Peter to preach the gospel (Acts 10:1-8). The requirement of this gospel is that man would repent and believe. The content of the gospel of grace is the eternal life so that man would have God’s life and live forever. The time period during which this gospel is preached is the dispensation of grace. The eternal gospel, on the other hand, is preached by an angel (Rev. 14:6-7). The requirement of this gospel is that man would fear and worship God. The content of the eternal gospel is the future eternity, in which the creatures will exist forever. The time period during which it is preached is the great tribulation, which is at the end of the dispensation of grace and before the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.
During the great tribulation, when the church age is near its end but the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens has not yet come, God will preach the eternal gospel, which is signified by the net spoken of in Matthew 13:47. This gospel will bring onto the shore collectively all men who are in the sea, that is, in the world usurped by Satan. In contrast, the gospel of grace does not save people collectively but one by one. Those who are saved by the gospel of grace are regenerated, have God’s life, and are transformed into a being of two natures, as signified by the pearl. The eternal gospel brings people from the sea onto the shore; these people are the many species, the many nations, who have not been regenerated, who do not have the eternal life, and who have not been transformed. The parables in Matthew 13 show that the Lord first saves a group of people from the Satan-usurped world by the gospel of grace so that they may become the pearl that He treasures, and then He deals with every tribe and nation that remains in the Satan-usurped world by His eternal gospel.
This will occur at the end of the dispensation of grace before the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, that is, when the Lord comes to judge the living. The world today is a vast sea that is corrupted and usurped by Satan. Every tribe and nation lives in this vast sea. In the age of grace the Lord gains a small number of people through the gospel of grace; these are regenerated and become the pearl. However, the majority of men remain in the sea until the Lord comes; at that time He will deal with those who have not been gained through the gospel of grace. During the great tribulation the Lord will send an angel to preach the eternal gospel to charge men to fear God and worship God. Those who receive this gospel are the species of the good; those who do not receive it are the species of the foul (vv. 47-48). When the Lord appears, He will charge the angels to bring before Him those who are still living on the earth, and He will judge them according to the eternal gospel. The foul will perish, but the good will be the people in the millennial kingdom (25:32-34, 41). The great tribulation will last three and a half years. Before the great tribulation the overcoming believers will be raptured, but those who are weak and defeated will remain on the earth.
The law ended when John the Baptist came forth; in the future the gospel of grace will likewise end when the two witnesses—Moses and Elijah—come forth. The time of John the Baptist and the thirty-three and a half years when the Lord was on earth was the transition period from the age of the law to the age of grace. In the future the three and a half years of the great tribulation will likewise be the transition period from the end of the age of grace to the commencement of the kingdom age. The preaching of the eternal gospel will take place after the rapture of the hundred and forty-four thousand overcomers (Rev. 14:3, 6). At that time Antichrist will set up his image on the earth for man to worship. Those who do not worship him will be killed; these include the remaining Christians and the Jews (13:1-18). Antichrist will kill them during the great tribulation. Just before this persecution God will send an angel to preach the eternal gospel to charge man to fear God and worship God (14:6-7). After the preaching of this gospel, the harvest will be ripe, and the remaining believers will all be reaped (vv. 14-16). Following this, an angel will gather the vine of the earth and cast it into the great winepress of the fury of God (vv. 17-20). The vine here refers to the evil ones.
Without the seventh parable the prophecy in Matthew 13 would not be complete, and we would not be shown how the Lord will deal with the unbelievers who are still living on the earth when He comes in His kingdom to rule. Hence, the Lord spoke the seventh parable to show that He will deal with these living ones based on the eternal gospel. This is the Lord’s wisdom.
When the two witnesses come, perhaps at the time when the harvest is reaped, they will be the last ones who uphold God’s interests on the earth. The three and a half years of the great tribulation cannot be considered the age of grace or the age of the kingdom but a transition period. During this transition period two witnesses will come forth to prophesy (Rev. 11:3). John the Baptist preached the word but not the gospel of life; it was the Lord who preached the gospel of life. In the Old Testament there is the law, in the New Testament there is the word of life, and between the two is the gospel of repentance preached by John the Baptist. In the same way, in the age of grace there is the gospel of grace, and in the transition period, between the age of grace and the age of the kingdom, there is the eternal gospel.
