Parable of the Talents: The harvest of the weeds

[Matt5]

Matthew 25:14-30 - Parable of the Talents

I know you can read and understand, so line-by-line analysis seems unnecessary. I want to go next level.

In the parable of the talents, we find Christians caught up in the harvest of the weeds. One type of Christian (the 1-talent group) does not escape the harvest and is killed.

Matthew 25:26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.

What do you reap when you do not sow? Weeds.

Reaping where he does not sow means harvesting weeds. This Christian doesn't feel like escaping the weed harvest and is caught up in it. His death is unfavorable. I suspect that the majority of Christians in the West fall into this category - the 1-talent group.

We can see from the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13 that the weeds are gathered first and burned, and later the wheat is gathered. But who is a weed?

The parable of the weeds:
Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

A weed is anyone who doesn't get out of the way when the harvest comes.

What form does the harvest take?

The harvests will come in the form of big wars:
Matthew 24:7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

We see several big wars in Revelation too.

Concerning the harvests:
Luke 21:34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.
Luke 21:35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth.
Luke 21:36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

Don't be like the hapless Australians who went on vacation to Louisiana and got caught up in a hurricane. You have to pay attention to the world around you. Luke 21:35 says the harvests are coming for everyone, including Christians.

Notice that you have to escape (Luke 21:36) in order to avoid this. If you just sit around then you get to be the 1-talent guy.

What does "that day" mean in Luke 21:34?

It means the day of harvest or day of obliteration. It is also a day of the Lord. There will be many such days. That is not the day Jesus arrives.

What about the 5-talent group and the 2-talent group? I suspect the 5-talent group escaped multiple harvests and the fake Jesus (false prophet). The 2-talent group avoided the fake Jesus but probably wasn't heavily affected by the harvests based on their location.

Conclusion:
You have to do something in order to escape the weed harvests before Jesus arrives. If you sleep then you are in trouble.

 

[Matt5]

What are some of the harvests?

Take a look at Isaiah 17 and 18.

Seal #
1. 1945 - America drops atomic bomb on Japan. Nuclear age begins. End-times begin.
2. 2001 - 9/11. Rise of Islam. Iran*.
3. 2023? - Israel nukes its neighbors. Isaiah 17. Iran*.
4. 2024? - Russia and China nuke America. The revenge for #3. Isaiah 18. Iran*.
5. 2033? - Rome falls via nuclear terrorism. Saints cry out for revenge. Iran*.
6. 2034? - NATO nukes Iran. The revenge for #5. Daniel 8. Iran*.
7. 2038? - Islamic Mahdi (Antichrist) takes over. Iran*.

* - Iran is either directly or indirectly behind this.

Israel nukes its neighbors. There is a short delay. Then retaliation comes to America via Russia and China.

Notice that Israel 17 is mentioned as a harvest.

Isaiah 17:5 It shall be as when the harvester gathers the grain, And reaps the heads with his arm;
It shall be as he who gathers heads of grain
In the Valley of Rephaim.

Isaiah 17:11 In the day you will make your plant to grow,
And in the morning you will make your seed to flourish;
But the harvest will be a heap of ruins
In the day of grief and desperate sorrow.

The obliteration of Damascus in Isaiah 17 is a harvest.

Isaiah 18 is about the obliteration of a powerful friend of Israel. The reference to harvest appears to be the one in Isaiah 17.

When the harvest comes in Isaiah 17, then the entire world is told to watch. There is a delay until the following spring. The last verse appears to give the day of obliteration - when this powerful friend of Israel brings a gift for the new temple on the Temple Mount. I think it's talking about America.

Isaiah 18:3 All inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth:
When he lifts up a banner on the mountains, you see it;
And when he blows a trumpet, you hear it.
4 For so the Lord said to me,
“I will take My rest,
And I will [b]look from My dwelling place
Like clear heat in sunshine,
Like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”
5 For before the harvest, when the bud is perfect
And the sour grape is ripening in the flower,
He will both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks
And take away and cut down the branches.
6 They will be left together for the mountain birds of prey
And for the beasts of the earth;
The birds of prey will summer on them,
And all the beasts of the earth will winter on them.

 

[Manfred]

A weed is anyone who doesn't get out of the way when the harvest comes.

No

That would be like saying sheep are separated with goats.

Joh 10:1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.
Joh 10:2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
Joh 10:3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
Joh 10:4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

Joh 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

 

[Matt5]

No

That would be like saying sheep are separated with goats.

Joh 10:1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.
Joh 10:2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
Joh 10:3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
Joh 10:4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

Joh 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

"That would be like saying sheep are separated with goats."

Those, who you thought were sheep, are actually goats.

Christians who take the mark of the beast, are they sheep? Some of them are no doubt better than most Christians, but yet they got confused and took the mark. Aren't they now goats?

 

[Manfred]

"That would be like saying sheep are separated with goats."

Those, who you thought were sheep, are actually goats.

Christians who take the mark of the beast, are they sheep?

Nope, never were. Tares among the wheat.
Not all people who claim to be Christian are born again Christians.

Some of them are no doubt better than most Christians, but yet they got confused and took the mark. Aren't they now goats?

Nope, they were NEVER sheep.
Why do you believe someone including the sheep itself can be ripped from the Fathers hand? That makes God impotent in achieving that which He sets out to do, and accusing Him of making mistakes.

Joh 10:4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

Joh 10:14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,
Joh 10:15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Joh 10:16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
Joh 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
Joh 10:30 I and the Father are one.”

 

[Matt5]

In Luke 12:35-40 Jesus is telling us to watch for his return and to be ready, or else. Or else what? Take a look at Luke 12:47-48:

47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.
48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded;
and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

I think this means that richer countries will suffer nuclear attacks directly. Poorer countries will experience the fallout.

What does it even mean to get ready? Get ready for big wars.

Impending Judgment on the Earth

Isaiah 24:1 Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste,
Distorts its surface
And scatters abroad its inhabitants.
Isaiah 24:2 And it shall be:
As with the people, so with the priest;
As with the servant, so with his master;
As with the maid, so with her mistress;
As with the buyer, so with the seller;
As with the lender, so with the borrower;
As with the creditor, so with the debtor.
Isaiah 24:3 The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered,
For the Lord has spoken this word.

Isaiah 24:6 Therefore the curse has devoured the earth,
And those who dwell in it are desolate.
Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned,
And few men are left.

 

[Matt5]

What is the purpose of parables?

Matthew 13:10-17 explains. It is to hide things. Concerning the end-times, they appear to be hiding really bad news. If you knew the truth then you would change your ways and be healed. Parables give you a way out. Parables allow you to see what you want to see.

In the parable of the sower, Jesus shows us how to interpret parables and other complex language. Find the concepts and apply them to an independent real world scenario.

The Purpose of Parables

Matthew 13:10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I [b]should heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;
17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

 

[Josheb]

Matthew 25:14-30 - Parable of the Talents

I know you can read and understand, so line-by-line analysis seems unnecessary. I want to go next level.....................................

When did Jesus specify the parable would occur?


Hint 1: Matthew 25 is part of a lengthy narrative by Matthew that covers five chapters, not one. Matthew's narrative covers a single day in Jesus' life, the day after he entered Jerusalem. A few days later he'd be dead, then buried, and then resurrected. Matthew's narrative begins in chapter 21, not 25 or 24. Matthew's narrative begins ate Matthew 21:18 ad continues on all the way through to Matthew 26:5.

Read it to verify what I just posted.

Then answer my question: When did Jesus specify the parable would occur?

Hint 2: There are at least three places in that five-chapter narrative where Jesus explicitly provides a marker for when the event(s) he is describing will occur. I encourage you to find all three and consider them altogether and NOT separate them from one another as some do. They are all part of a series of teachings Jesus gives during the course of one single day. According to Matthew this was the last day Jesus every taught in public.

 

[Matt5]

When did Jesus specify the parable would occur?


Hint 1: Matthew 25 is part of a lengthy narrative by Matthew that covers five chapters, not one. Matthew's narrative covers a single day in Jesus' life, the day after he entered Jerusalem. A few days later he'd be dead, then buried, and then resurrected. Matthew's narrative begins in chapter 21, not 25 or 24. Matthew's narrative begins ate Matthew 21:18 ad continues on all the way through to Matthew 26:5.

Read it to verify what I just posted.

Then answer my question: When did Jesus specify the parable would occur?

Hint 2: There are at least three places in that five-chapter narrative where Jesus explicitly provides a marker for when the event(s) he is describing will occur. I encourage you to find all three and consider them altogether and NOT separate them from one another as some do. They are all part of a series of teachings Jesus gives during the course of one single day. According to Matthew this was the last day Jesus every taught in public.

Answer to your question:
Matthew 25:1 and Matthew 25:19 explain: After a long time.

I think that technically you are right that Jesus already came back and everything is about that time. But I believe that is a violation of the spirit of the language.

Why do we want the spirit of the words and not the letter?

Matthew 13 explains. How did Jesus go from his parable of the sower to his explanation in Matthew 13? The parable of the sower is about the problems of a farmer. That's where the words take us. Yet, Jesus explains that it is about something completely different. How can this be? It's about the spirit or underlying concepts and not the literal words.

You are stuck at #1 below. Maybe you are right but you can't actually know that, given Matthew 13. Many Christians are stuck at #2. I'm at #3. It really explains a lot.

What is the spirit of the return of Jesus?

1. The day he returns? You are here, given that he already came back.
2. The day he returns for a planetary takeover? Many Christians are here.
3. The decades surrounding his planetary takeover with Jesus only coming at the end? I'm here.

If I'm right then many Christians are in trouble right now and will be caught off-guard.

 

[Josheb]

Answer to your question:
Matthew 25:1 and Matthew 25:19 explain: After a long time.

Neither verse states any such thing.

Matthew 25:1
Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Matthew 25:19
Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.

Verse 1 offers no specified length of time and verse 25 is spoken of in the past-tense.

So I invite you again to survey Matthew's narrative, find the explicitly stated markers, and post them so you'll know for yourself what Jesus stated and we can discuss it op-relevantly.

I think that technically you are right that Jesus already came back and everything is about that time.

I am not splitting any of those kinds of hairs. Jesus explicitly stated what he explicitly stated and unless the text itself gives warrant for reading them a different way his words should be read exactly as explicitly stated.

But I believe that is a violation of the spirit of the language.

Unless the text itself is providing the "spirit of the language" it would be you adding to scripture something the scripture itself does not provide. So... FIRST, find the statements of Jesus explicitly stating when the events he described would occur and THEN show me where the scriptures state his words are to be read with a specified "spirit of the language."

Why do we want the spirit of the words and not the letter?

The two are not mutually exclusive conditions. There are many places where the letter ALSO speaks of matters much larger. However, where the text should be taken as stated then do so and where the text should be read with added implication it is scripture that provides those implications - beginning with the immediately surrounding text.

Matthew 13 explains.

No, it does not.

Matthew 13 is a completely different text. It is a completely different text spoken in a completely different locale under completely different conditions within a completely different context for completely different purpose.

You have moved the goalposts. Stick to the Matthew 21-25 narrative. There is a reason I asked you to read that portion of Matthew's gospel as a whole. I want you to notice the shift in Jesus' parables. I want you to see how his stories and their purpose changed. If you read the whole gospel you'll see his parables change as he approaches Jerusalem and they change again after he enters. If that hasn't been read and understood then the "spirit of the language" will have been missed and you will make the mistake you just made: comparing Matthew 13's parable with Matthew 25's as if the two are equal or synonymous when they are not.

If I'm right then many Christians are in trouble right now and will be caught off-guard.

It may be correct that many Christians are "in trouble" right now (whatever that might mean) but it is also possible you (or I might be one of them because you cannot or will not answer one single solitary question without piling on a bunch of incorrect and/or irrelevant content.

Just answer the question asked.

When does Jesus state the events he is describing will occur? In the Matthew 21:18-26:5 narrative that covers one single, very busy, day in the life of Jesus and his disciples, Jesus explicitly states at least three markers directly reporting when the events will occur. On one of those occasions Jesus is explicitly asked when the time would come, and he answers that question. The parable to which this opening post appeals is part of that answer, but the parable is a figurative example of events described more explicitly in his two-chapter long answer.



When does Jesus state the events he is describing will occur?
.

 

[Josheb]

@Matt5

It was not my intent to be exacting with you when I first posted in response to this op. I am, however, often so because it is often difficult to get a poster to answer specific questions and answer them concisely. It is a very common and very serious problem whenever anyone doesn't start first with whatever is explicitly stated. It happens even from the pulpit and is always something to watch for. It's important in this thread because parables are always supposed to be measured by what is elsewhere explicitly stated. The literal explains the figurative, NOT the other way around.

So start with what was explicitly stated.




When did Jesus state the events described would occur?
.

 

[ChristB4us]

Matthew 25:14-30 - Parable of the Talents

I know you can read and understand, so line-by-line analysis seems unnecessary. I want to go next level.

In the parable of the talents, we find Christians caught up in the harvest of the weeds. One type of Christian (the 1-talent group) does not escape the harvest and is killed.

Matthew 25:26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.

What do you reap when you do not sow? Weeds.

Matthew 25:26 is the Lord testifying to Himself reaping where He has not sown.

I do not see how you can apply what the believer does by not sowing the seed as reaping weeds.

However, there is a consequence in not sowing what the Lord has given him, the Good News, for others to share with as investing those "talents" because in a ay, that is like denying Him when a believer does not testify of his relationship with the Lord at all so that others may benefit.

Reaping where he does not sow means harvesting weeds. This Christian doesn't feel like escaping the weed harvest and is caught up in it. His death is unfavorable. I suspect that the majority of Christians in the West fall into this category - the 1-talent group.

Saved believers that do not confess Him before men and therefore are denying Him before men are in danger of being left behind. it does not mean they are not saved, but they miss out in being partakers of the firstfruits of the resurrection in being that vessel unto honor in His House.

2 Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

We can see from the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13 that the weeds are gathered first and burned, and later the wheat is gathered. But who is a weed?

The parable of the weeds:
Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

A weed is anyone who doesn't get out of the way when the harvest comes.

Not sure how you can apply that bold statement for warning or preparation as coming from that verse in Matthew 13:30. If you are a weed, there is no getting out of the way of the harvest when you are being collected & tied into bundles to be burned.

There is however the call to go to Jesus Christ for help to discern any iniquity so as to lean on Him for help to depart from them daily.

What form does the harvest take?

The harvests will come in the form of big wars:
Matthew 24:7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

We see several big wars in Revelation too.

Concerning the harvests:
Luke 21:34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.
Luke 21:35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth.
Luke 21:36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

Don't be like the hapless Australians who went on vacation to Louisiana and got caught up in a hurricane. You have to pay attention to the world around you. Luke 21:35 says the harvests are coming for everyone, including Christians.

Notice that you have to escape (Luke 21:36) in order to avoid this. If you just sit around then you get to be the 1-talent guy.

What does "that day" mean in Luke 21:34?

It means the day of harvest or day of obliteration. It is also a day of the Lord. There will be many such days. That is not the day Jesus arrives.

What about the 5-talent group and the 2-talent group? I suspect the 5-talent group escaped multiple harvests and the fake Jesus (false prophet). The 2-talent group avoided the fake Jesus but probably wasn't heavily affected by the harvests based on their location.

Conclusion:
You have to do something in order to escape the weed harvests before Jesus arrives. If you sleep then you are in trouble.

Setting Calvinism aside, let us keep the context of the message in Luke 21:33-36 as aligning with Luke 17:26-37 & 2 Peter 3:3-15 because the escape is from that fiery calamity that is coming on the earth for why believers are exhorted to be ready as found abiding in Him as His disciples.

Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Luke 17:26-37 KJV Jesus gave two examples of a judgment coming on the earth for why believers are to be ready to escape or else. He even warned believers not to even think of going back for something valuable or a treasure in their homes to take with them but leave it behind or else in verses 31-33. That is why we are to set our hearts on the treasures above and not of the earth cause we can't take it with us.

2 Peter 3:3-15 KJV Peter cited the Biblical global flood for why he is warning believers to endure to the end to escape that fiery calamity he is describing as coming on the earth.

So preparations to avoid being overcharged by the cares of this life is by not being committed to anything by a man made bondage like a promise or a commitment or extra vows of love added to the marriage covenant that God has performed.

Believers need to ask the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness and to release them of those man made bondages to rest in His Covenant that He will do His work in us to help us to follow Him, including leaving treasures and loved ones behind, all the way Home above.

Luke 14:15-35 KJV < --- That is the cost of discipleship in praying for His help to leave everything behind when the Bridegroom comes to attend the Marriage Supper held in Heaven.

 

[Agra Man]

Matthew 25:14-30 - Parable of the Talents

I know you can read and understand, so line-by-line analysis seems unnecessary. I want to go next level.

In the parable of the talents, we find Christians caught up in the harvest of the weeds. One type of Christian (the 1-talent group) does not escape the harvest and is killed.

Matthew 25:26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.

What do you reap when you do not sow? Weeds.

Reaping where he does not sow means harvesting weeds. This Christian doesn't feel like escaping the weed harvest and is caught up in it. His death is unfavorable. I suspect that the majority of Christians in the West fall into this category - the 1-talent group.

We can see from the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13 that the weeds are gathered first and burned, and later the wheat is gathered. But who is a weed?

The parable of the weeds:
Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

A weed is anyone who doesn't get out of the way when the harvest comes.

What form does the harvest take?

The harvests will come in the form of big wars:
Matthew 24:7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

We see several big wars in Revelation too.

Concerning the harvests:
Luke 21:34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.
Luke 21:35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth.
Luke 21:36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

Don't be like the hapless Australians who went on vacation to Louisiana and got caught up in a hurricane. You have to pay attention to the world around you. Luke 21:35 says the harvests are coming for everyone, including Christians.

Notice that you have to escape (Luke 21:36) in order to avoid this. If you just sit around then you get to be the 1-talent guy.

What does "that day" mean in Luke 21:34?

It means the day of harvest or day of obliteration. It is also a day of the Lord. There will be many such days. That is not the day Jesus arrives.

What about the 5-talent group and the 2-talent group? I suspect the 5-talent group escaped multiple harvests and the fake Jesus (false prophet). The 2-talent group avoided the fake Jesus but probably wasn't heavily affected by the harvests based on their location.

Conclusion:
You have to do something in order to escape the weed harvests before Jesus arrives. If you sleep then you are in trouble.

Absolutely brilliant bravo again just brilliant

This is exactly what I have been trying to get others to understand on my home forum before I came here but no one cares.

I keep telling them he is not playing around and that we need to get dead serious about him and get to work because time is not our friend. planting the seeds of the kingdom with every post every word spoken is a seed planted

But everyone just wants to stay casual they don't listen and just slander and backlash but I told them God always warns what he is going to do before he does it so don't come crying to me when he is ready to act and I have already warned you ahead of time.

Slothful watery not concieving black or white living in the grey a disgusting taste in his mouth

 

[Matt5]

@Matt5

It was not my intent to be exacting with you when I first posted in response to this op. I am, however, often so because it is often difficult to get a poster to answer specific questions and answer them concisely. It is a very common and very serious problem whenever anyone doesn't start first with whatever is explicitly stated. It happens even from the pulpit and is always something to watch for. It's important in this thread because parables are always supposed to be measured by what is elsewhere explicitly stated. The literal explains the figurative, NOT the other way around.

So start with what was explicitly stated.




When did Jesus state the events described would occur?
.

I guess it would be too easy to give me the Bible verses directly?

Your references:

Matthew 21:18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

Matthew 26: 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

Let me try again.

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

(NIV) Matthew 25:5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

(NIV) Matthew 25:19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.

 

[Matt5]

Matthew 25:26 is the Lord testifying to Himself reaping where He has not sown.

I do not see how you can apply what the believer does by not sowing the seed as reaping weeds.

However, there is a consequence in not sowing what the Lord has given him, the Good News, for others to share with as investing those "talents" because in a ay, that is like denying Him when a believer does not testify of his relationship with the Lord at all so that others may benefit.

Saved believers that do not confess Him before men and therefore are denying Him before men are in danger of being left behind. it does not mean they are not saved, but they miss out in being partakers of the firstfruits of the resurrection in being that vessel unto honor in His House.

2 Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

Not sure how you can apply that bold statement for warning or preparation as coming from that verse in Matthew 13:30. If you are a weed, there is no getting out of the way of the harvest when you are being collected & tied into bundles to be burned.

There is however the call to go to Jesus Christ for help to discern any iniquity so as to lean on Him for help to depart from them daily.

Setting Calvinism aside, let us keep the context of the message in Luke 21:33-36 as aligning with Luke 17:26-37 & 2 Peter 3:3-15 because the escape is from that fiery calamity that is coming on the earth for why believers are exhorted to be ready as found abiding in Him as His disciples.

Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Luke 17:26-37 KJV Jesus gave two examples of a judgment coming on the earth for why believers are to be ready to escape or else. He even warned believers not to even think of going back for something valuable or a treasure in their homes to take with them but leave it behind or else in verses 31-33. That is why we are to set our hearts on the treasures above and not of the earth cause we can't take it with us.

2 Peter 3:3-15 KJV Peter cited the Biblical global flood for why he is warning believers to endure to the end to escape that fiery calamity he is describing as coming on the earth.

So preparations to avoid being overcharged by the cares of this life is by not being committed to anything by a man made bondage like a promise or a commitment or extra vows of love added to the marriage covenant that God has performed.

Believers need to ask the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness and to release them of those man made bondages to rest in His Covenant that He will do His work in us to help us to follow Him, including leaving treasures and loved ones behind, all the way Home above.

Luke 14:15-35 KJV < --- That is the cost of discipleship in praying for His help to leave everything behind when the Bridegroom comes to attend the Marriage Supper held in Heaven.

How are you preparing for the return of Jesus?

 

[Josheb]

I guess it would be too easy to give me the Bible verses directly?

Your references:

Matthew 21:18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

Matthew 26: 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

Let me try again.

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

(NIV) Matthew 25:5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

(NIV) Matthew 25:19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.

Take a look at the Greek. Try using the NAS, the ESV, or even the KJV because those are all better word-for-word translations than the NIV (which is a dynamic, not formal translation). I'll work with what you've posted but none of those examples is one of the verses where Jesus explicitly states when the events he's describing will occur.

IN Matthew 24:14 Jesus does give something of a "timestamp." The "end" will come when the gospel is preached throughout the whole world. Some people today, especially eschatologically modern futurists, read that literally to mean every single "nation" will have had the gospel preached to them AND they usually define "nation" as a geo-political nation-state (like the US, the UK, or Russia or China, and not in the sense of ethnicity or culture. More importantly, their definitions, understanding, and interpretation are secular and extra-canonical.

I say this because if we are going to use scripture to render scripture then we MUST also consider

Matthew 10:23
But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.

Colossians 1:21-23
And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

If we are to read Matthew 24:14 literally AND Matthew 10:23 and Colossians 1:23 in the exact same manner, then we must face the fact the conditions Jesus stipulated have all come and gone. Jesus said the disciples would not go through all the cities of Israel before he returned. Paul explicitly stated the gospel has been preached throughout all creation (creation would include both the heavens and the earth, not just every nation on earth).

At this point let me get ahead of the likely protest: I have not asserted any particular eschatology. Nor have I once appealed to any extra-biblical doctrine, denomination, theologian, or anything other than scripture, scripture alone, and scripture read exactly as written with the normal definitions of words as used ordinarily.

So.... if you're going to use Matthew 24:14 then the events as the marker for when the events he's describing are to occur then those events have come and gone because the Bible elsewhere clearly states the criteria Jesus stipulated passed.

Your other two verses are from parables. They are not literal statements but sentences from a parable used for figurative purposes.


Here are some of the verses to which you should be looking: Matthew 23:35, Matthew 24:9, 24:34, 24:26, 24:36, and Matthew 25:31. Read through the entire narrative (Matthew 21:18-26:5) and heed how the events of the day conspire and move Jesus's words from the triumphal entry to the judgment of the Jewish leaders, and his death and resurrection and the events he prophesied related to those conditions. THEN use other scripture, not man-made eschatologies to render what he said. For example, Jesus cleaned out the temple in accordance with the Law of Moses (see Leviticus 14). He returned the very next day to find it re-infested. What did the Law prescribe? What did Jesus do and say? Write out a list of the specific things Jesus listed in Mattew 24 and then search Acts and the epistolary to find which ones the scriptures themselves report having happened (you'll find a lot of them are thusly reported).

This will take you a little time.

Once you've done at least some of what I am suggesting we can discuss what it all means relevant to this op because the parables of the talents and the harvest are applicable to all generations, but not necessarily in the exact same way as it was to those to whom it was first spoken. They did not live in a post-Calvary or post-Pentecost world when those words were spoken. They lived when earthly Jerusalem and covenant Israel were still both intact. We don't.

Note Matthew 13:30 implies the weeds and the wheat grow together until the very end, until the end of growing season when harvest-time comes. Note the weeds, not the wheat, are harvested first. The wheat are not taken away first; they are taken up later, but both harvests occur at the same time: harvest time.

 

[Josheb]

How are you preparing for the return of Jesus?

As opposed to having already been prepared?

Can you see the problem in your question? It assumes some new or different form of preparation has to occur, and it does so in implied conflict with the many verses in scripture that tell us we already have everything we need in Christ. Take a look at how the word "prepare" is used in the New Testament. It is used more than a dozen times in the gospels but only three times in the epistolary and not a single one of the epistles' uses has anything to do specifically with preparing for Christ's return! There are repeated exhortations about the hope of Christ's return but not one admonition to "prepare." Why is the epistolary so silent on that matter? Why did the apostles NOT tell the converts to Christ to "prepare" for the return of Christ? How is it you think the question asked has any veracity? Was it something you were taught by others? Is it rooted in a pre-Calvary, gospel emphasizing reading of scripture that neglects the post-Calvary epistolary?

No one is going to be fully prepared when Jesus shows up. Every single person will have unconfessed sin on their ledger. No how diligently a person may look and look and look, s/he will never be adequately prepared - especially if the preparations being made are made in the flesh.

 

[ChristB4us]

How are you preparing for the return of Jesus?

By trusting Jesus Christ to help me not to look to myself to follow Him by the best I can but resting in Him as my Saviour that I am saved by faith in Jesus Christ and that I can rest in Him as my Good Shepherd to help me to abide in His words to follow Him as His disciples in bearing fruits.

He had to set me free from my commitments, promises, and covenant to Him to rest in His New Covenant that He will do it, thus he just shall live by faith in Him and His words to us.

1 John 3:1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure....

....8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:...11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.... 5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

Hebrews 12:1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

2 Timothy 4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

The video below cites wreath instead of crown in their scripture passages. It is crown, FYI.

 

[Josheb]

How are you preparing for the return of Jesus?

By trusting Jesus Christ to help me not to look to myself to follow Him.................

Suppose the two of you got into an argument with someone at home tonight and Jesus returned while you were in the midst of an angry outburst in which you were presuming to know the heart and mind of your perceived adversary and judging them with words lacking edification.

Would either of you be saved?

 

[Matt5]

As opposed to having already been prepared?

Can you see the problem in your question? It assumes some new or different form of preparation has to occur, and it does so in implied conflict with the many verses in scripture that tell us we already have everything we need in Christ. Take a look at how the word "prepare" is used in the New Testament. It is used more than a dozen times in the gospels but only three times in the epistolary and not a single one of the epistles' uses has anything to do specifically with preparing for Christ's return! There are repeated exhortations about the hope of Christ's return but not one admonition to "prepare." Why is the epistolary so silent on that matter? Why did the apostles NOT tell the converts to Christ to "prepare" for the return of Christ? How is it you think the question asked has any veracity? Was it something you were taught by others? Is it rooted in a pre-Calvary, gospel emphasizing reading of scripture that neglects the post-Calvary epistolary?

No one is going to be fully prepared when Jesus shows up. Every single person will have unconfessed sin on their ledger. No how diligently a person may look and look and look, s/he will never be adequately prepared - especially if the preparations being made are made in the flesh.

My methodology for end-time events: Real world to Bible. Which independent real world scenarios seem to match up with Bible end-time events?

I believe the return of Jesus is near. Probably before 2050. Before 2045. Somewhere around 2040 maybe. That's just 17 years. Do you think we can see at least some end-time scenarios forming out in the distance? I think yes.

A problem for Christians:

We already know that half the virgins screw up something and get rejected by Jesus. That means a lot of so-called Christians aren't good enough for Jesus.

We know from Noah's Ark that everybody is allowed to make the right choice. Even bad people are given the chance to make the right choice one last time. A test.

One test would be the mark of the beast. Interestingly, in this test the Christians are not supernaturally saved. They have to die to pass the test. So here is a case where the test is life or death, just like with Noah's test.

Why do you get a freebie but quite a few other Christians get in serious trouble which includes death?

Answer: You don't get a freebie. You'll pay like everybody else.

Because we live in the West, we get the privilege of a couple of big wars. One such war involves America, Russia and China. If you live in America then you're toast if you don't get out of the way. There are threats surrounding this war now.

If you are a Christian in America when that war comes, then you will pay along with everybody else. Or get out of the way. This is a test.

Parable of the talents:
You are a weed unless you get out of the way.

Why won't you get out of the way? Fear and/or laziness.

It's not easy to get out of the way. Plus, how will you survive somewhere else? Better to just die.