Parables

[hillsbororiver]

At the Mobile Conference I met with a Brother who has a real depth of understanding in regard to the parables (and other subjects), he pointed out something that Ray had also brought up in LOF Part 4, here is a quote from Ray;

A simple example: "Another parable spoke He unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." Jesus didn't explain this parable, so what does it mean? Most certainly understand that leaven (like yeast) put into dough will cause the dough to rise through fermentation. But what is the spiritual application of this parable? Paul tells us that, "Know ye not that a little leaven leavens the whole lump" (I Cor. 5:6). But who believes this parable? According to Jesus, the kingdom of God is like this parable of the leaven and the lump. The kingdom of God moves and works throughout the entirety of the universe until the WHOLE of God's creation is brought under its influence. But who believes it?

The time comes when Jesus Christ will turn over the kingdom of God to His Father: "Then comes the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power ... that GOD MAY BE ALL IN ALL" (I Cor. 15:24 & 28b). Then the whole lump will be leavened with God! Everyone—ALL. This parable is not literal. The kingdom of God is not literally "leaven in a lump of dough! These teachings are SPIRITUAL! They teach GREAT SPIRITUAL TRUTHS! Every parable teaches a spiritual truth. Unless you understand the parable of the leaven and the dough, you don't understand the gospel. Because the leaven in the dough is like the kingdom of God and Jesus came preaching the "GOSPEL" OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD! You see, if the leaven does NOT leaven the WHOLE lump, then it is NOT "like the kingdom of God." Anything that does not involve the whole (everyone) cannot be "like" the kingdom of God. For anything to be "like" the kingdom of God it must involve the whole, the all, everyone, all mankind. Therefore Jesus said that the kingdom of God is "like" leaven that leavens the WHOLE LUMP! Aren't these little parables just MARVELOUS?


With this principle in mind (Anything that does not involve the whole (everyone) cannot be "like" the kingdom of God) I want to share this interesting perspective;


Mat 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Mat 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

Mat 13:4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Mat 13:31  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

Mat 13:32  Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

Here we can see that the fowls and the birds do not "sow, reap or gather," in fact some of the fowls devour the seeds that fall by the wayside, yet we see that God has provided for them (Mat 6:26).

We also see in Mat 13:32 the birds lodging/resting in the branches of the tree which springs forth from the "least of all seeds."

There is no question that the elect are the "least" and ultimately it is the elect (through Christ) who will bring even those who seemingly are not in accordance even at emnity with His plan and purpose yet are still taken care of within this very plan. These birds/fowl find lodging and rest in the branches of these trees, they will not be left out. The Father has provided the means to eventually bring all into The Kingdom, and it very well could involve you!

Everything about God's salvation of all is in the parables, it is all there!

http://bible-truths.com/lake4.html

His Peace and Wisdom to you,

Joe

[lilitalienboi16]

Beautiful joe, thanks for shareing that!

What a marvelous God we have. Truly these are hidden riches, and boy they are worth all the digging!

God bless,

Alex

[bobf]

Amen Joe!

Some verses came to mind:

Genesis 26:4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.

Jeremaiah 33:22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.

Hosea 1:10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.

Revelation 21:25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

Isaiah 66:18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory. 19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. 20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD


Blessings,
Bob

[jER]

When the leaven is put in, and under the influence of heat, it produces a wholesome bread; the staple of life. And, no table is complete without the wine. All is in order.

As with the mustard seed, it all begins from that unseen (in the hearts of men and women) causing a transformation from within, changing us by the power of His Holy breath; the Spirit that dwells in and through us ... "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent Power belongs to God, and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).

May we be transformed into Christ-like holiness, that He desires - for His Glory and Purpose.

Absolutely Marvelous,  Joe!
JER

[hillsbororiver]

So true Alex, our God is the exact opposite of what He is portrayed to be in the mainstream denominations and the secular conventional "wisdom." Some day all will know Him and praise His name, not out of a fear of hell but out of love for His true nature, which is the deepest, unfathomable love for His creation.

Hi Bob, thank you for expanding on this with some additional and most relevant verses, we can see the plan of salvation unfold all through His Word!

Hello jER, Amen to your words Brother!

There is another clue of the Kingdom in the following;

Luk 15:4  What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

Luk 15:5  And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Luk 15:6  And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

Luk 15:7  I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Can't you see what a profound joy it will be when the lost who are experiencing judgment and correction one by one "get it" and repent with awe and admiration for our God?

Imagine the elect as they see their loved ones (and everyone else) being converted to the One true God, the shouts of praise to Jesus for carrying forward the plan and purpose of our Father. Talk about unspeakable joy, words and even thoughts do not convey what it will be like.

Thank you all for your comments and contribution.

His Peace to you,

Joe

[Deborah-Leigh]

Beautiful post Joe.

I believe Paul saw the same things you are being given to see and share. : 1 Cor 2 : 9 But as it is written, Eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which god has prepared for them that love Him. 10. But God HAS REVEALED THEM TO US  by His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things even the deep things of God.

Peace to you Brother

Arcturus

[musicman]

The leaven is Christ and the elect.  They are the few (a little leaven) who will judge the world.  It leavens the whole lump.  That is one of the greatest parables to prove all will be saved.

Man!!  If the church had written the bible then it might say, "the kingdom of god is likened unto a firecracker, when lit in an oil field".

[Snowfire]

It is interesting that of the sheep that are lost, many don't even know they are lost (don't know they are in need of repentance) and that thru the act of causing trials and tribulations (God's searching for the lost sheep) is what reveals to the sheep that they are lost.

[Deborah-Leigh]

That is true for me too Snowfire. Compair what Babylon would have us believe. That if we are in trials and tribulations we are already condemned not being lost and found!

That's funny musicman

Peace to you

Arcturus

[hillsbororiver]

In conversing with a Brother yesterday evening he pointed to another dimension of these parables that speak of The Kingdom, where that Kingdom can be found and what must be done (through Christ) to find it, to be discovered so to speak.

Mat 13:44  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

Mat 13:45  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

Mat 13:46  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Anyone care to speculate on the meaning here?

Consider the following verse as well;

Luk 12:34  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

His Peace and Wisdom to you,

Joe

[hillsbororiver]

Beautiful post Joe.

I believe Paul saw the same things you are being given to see and share. : 1 Cor 2 : 9 But as it is written, Eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which god has prepared for them that love Him. 10. But God HAS REVEALED THEM TO US  by His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things even the deep things of God.

Peace to you Brother

Arcturus

Hi again Arcturus,

It is amazing how these parables tie it all together, the sum of His Word is in the parables!

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

1Pe 1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

His Peace and Wisdom to you,

Joe
 

[Kat]

Hi Joe,

What this says to me is, after many years of searching through Mystery Babylon, then when God opens our eyes to the Truth and we find the "treasure hid in a field" and "one pearl of great price."

Then we leave all the heresy of Babylon or "selleth all that he hath."

If we turn whole heartedly to seek these Truth and devote ourselves to it every day, then we have "bought it."

Is that close?  It's kind of a simple way of saying it, I guess  

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[rjsurfs]

Kat !

Then we leave all the heresy of Babylon or "selleth all that he hath."

"...selleth all that he hath..."  - that is beautiful.  I have never seen that meaning there... I love it and can't wait to get home tonight and look at that further.

Thank you!

Bobby

[hillsbororiver]

Hi Kat,

What you wrote fits right in, the first thing we need to recognize is where Christ does not dwell (Babylon) and where it is that He does dwell.

Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Then of course there is that pesky beast we must deal with, but we are not alone.

Rev 13:4  And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

There are some (the elect) who sell (and shed) what they have (in Babylon) accumulated in this life and there are the many that will have it taken away in the next, either way, everyone will come to realize, accept and praise God that His Kingdom has always been within them.

Revelation 18

4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

5For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

6Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

7How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

8Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

9And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

10Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

11And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

12The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

13And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

14And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

Where and what is the Kingdom? Christ within us.

Who is able to make war with the beast? Christ within us.

Who overcomes Babylon and reveals the Kingdom in the next age for the many? Christ within us.

His Peace and Wisdom to you,

Joe

[Deborah-Leigh]

Joe

Where and what is the Kingdom? Christ within us.

Who is able to make war with the beast? Christ within us.

Who overcomes Babylon and reveals the Kingdom in the next age for the many? Christ within us.

Nothing more and nothing less than " Christ within us. " Amen to that Joe!

Christ does NOT dwell in Babylon! Amen to that too!

Peace be to you

Arcturus

[rjsurfs]

Kat & Joe... your posts in this thread have had me thinking all day... I was anxious to get home tonight and start to dig a little more.

I was particularly intrigued by Kat's quote:

"selleth all that he hath."

All that I have... all that I have in my mind... that old carnal, self-serving thinking.  The folly that I know... that I have it figured out.

Looking through much of Ray's material tonight I found this in LoF part 16D-4 (http://bible-truths.com/lake16-D4.htm)

One disciple Jesus called excused himself on the grounds that he had more important things to do:

"And another of His disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead" (Matt. 8:21-22).

Another disciple starts to follow Jesus, but then decides he has some personal things to attend to first. Jesus will reject such a person:

"And another also said, Lord I will follow you, but let me first go bid them farewell, which at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:61-62).

Jesus invites one young ruler to be a very Apostle, and he turns it down because the price is too high:

Jesus said unto him, If you will be perfect, go and sell that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven,: and come and follow Me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions" (Mat. 19:21-22).

Others volunteer to be followers of Jesus, but Jesus rejects them without any apparent explanation:

"And a certain scribe came and said unto Him, Master, I will follow you whithersoever You go. And Jesus said unto him. The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has no where to lay His head" (Matt. 8:19-20).

Jesus knew this upper class scribe would not be inclined to endure for very long.

By and by, most of Christ's disciples fell by the wayside. When Jesus told His disciples that they would have to "eat My flesh and drink My blood" (John 6:54) in order to have eonian life, they began to murmur:

"Many there of His disciples when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples murmured at it, He said unto them, Does this offend you? What and if you shall see the Son of man ascend up where He was before?

So today theologians and Christians would say that they are not offended that Jesus said we are to "eat His flesh and drink His blood," oh no, but they are terribly offended if one applies Jesus' very same spiritual words to such things as Gehenna fire showing that it too is nor literal fire.

"It is the SPIRIT that quickens [gives life]; the flesh profits nothings: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life... but there are some of you that believe not... Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto Me except it were given unto him of My Father. From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him" (John 6: 60-66).

Will any of you also "go back and walk no more with Him" after reading this Lake of Fire series? Does standing up for the Truths of Jesus Christ bring more persecution, condemnation, and ridicule from your "Christian" brothers and sisters than you are willing to endure?

"If any man come to Me, and hate [love less] not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple"

"And whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple"

"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsake not all that he has, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26, 27, 33).

The physical, carnal, Babylonian thinking has to go... to truly follow Jesus.  Whether it is burying the dead (symbolic), looking back (symbolic), selling all of my possessions (symbolic), the old has to go before the new can come in.  And this is told by parable after parable throughout the Bible.

You said it well Joe...

There are some (the elect) who sell (and shed) what they have (in Babylon) accumulated in this life and there are the many that will have it taken away in the next, either way, everyone will come to realize, accept and praise God that His Kingdom has always been within them.

I felt blessed having this Eureka moment today... seeing a truth expressed in a way I'd never seen it before.
Thanks,
Bobby

[pylady]

Some scriptures that seem to go along with what's been said:

1 John 2:15 "Love not the world nor the things in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

Matt 10:37  "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."

Luke 14:26,27,33 "So, likwise, whosoever he be of you that forsake not all that he has, he cannot be My disciple."  (already quoted)

Matt 6:33  "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteosness; and all these other things will be added to you."

The longing for, the searching for, and the treasuring of this pearl of great price must be the first and most important pursuit of our lives.  of course, now I know via Ray's teaching that it is God putting the longing in us, and dragging us to Him, that we are able and willing to seek the kingdom first.

Thank you, Joe, for this insight into the Kingdom!

    Your sister in Christ,

                  Cindy 

[jER]

Music Man,

If the church had written the bible then it might say, "the kingdom of god is likened unto a firecracker, when lit in an oil field".

This brought to mind; the Lamps of Gideon that were formed of clay and baked in an oven, or kiln. Afterwards, they were filled with oil and were given a wick. When lit, and placed in a pitcher (vessel), they put off a dim light.

"And he divided the three hundred men (who stood against 135,000)...a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers" (Judges 7:16)

We have this light in "vessels of clay," formed from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7), and fired with the afflictions of this life.

"...they blew the trumpets, and broke the pitchers that were in their hands" (Judges 7:19)

"...and broke the pitchers, that held the lamps..." (vs. 20)

These are just earthenware vessels; clay pots, formed by the potter, who made them frail and of limited use for a purpose – until they are broken. And, once broken, they burst forth with great illumination, like that of a torch that is fueled with oil (the Spirit of God). God is called the "Father of Lights" (James 1:17).


And, God said, "Let light shine out of darkness," and made His Light shine in our hearts to give us the light of knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus. But, we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that this pre-eminent power is from Him, and not of ourselves ( 2 Corinthians 4:6-7).

If we, have the light of the world, "Christ Jesus" in us, then we will shine as lights in the world.

You just never know what a frail firecracker can do, mixed with the oil of HIS SPIRIT.

JER

[kweli]

Hi all

Although I've been a guest for a couple of months now, I'm a new member of this forum. To be completely honest, there is something about Ray's teachings that drives the message home. A lot of the topics and discussion bring a lot of things to light. I just a a concern.

I used to believe in "Babylon" teachings because they were shared by many churches. The bible also taught me that I should not lean on my own understanding.

Explaining these parables has shed some light, but I used to be one of the people who believed that being in the usual church system, they have sold everything they have to buy that pearl.

A lot of the material here says to me that we should not even associate ourselves with "christians", infact, more so than non-believers of Jesus as the Messiah. This is a bit difficult for me to swallow.

I hope you all realise that this is coming from a place of great sincerity and concern. Are we supposed to see people the believing christian under the church system as our enemies?

Please respond to me as soon as you can as I'm in dire need of scriptural manifestation on this

Seeking the glory of God,
Kweli (Swahili word for truth) 

[hillsbororiver]

Hi all

Hi kweli (and welcome),

Although I've been a guest for a couple of months now, I'm a new member of this forum. To be completely honest, there is something about Ray's teachings that drives the message home. A lot of the topics and discussion bring a lot of things to light. I just a a concern.

That is what immediately struck me about Ray's articles, so many things started to clear up and make sense, things that I had struggled with and wondered about for decades.

I used to believe in "Babylon" teachings because they were shared by many churches. The bible also taught me that I should not lean on my own understanding.

We are also admonished to seek Him, seek the Kingdom first, we are not to rely on our own understanding but pray for the Spirit to guide us in Truth, also to remember Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. 

Explaining these parables has shed some light, but I used to be one of the people who believed that being in the usual church system, they have sold everything they have to buy that pearl.

A lot of the material here says to me that we should not even associate ourselves with "christians", infact, more so than non-believers of Jesus as the Messiah. This is a bit difficult for me to swallow.

I am not aware of any advice to "not even associate ourselves with christians" but if you mean to come out of babylon and stay away from her heresies then yes we are admonished to "come out of her my people." We need to be a living example of the truths we have been shown, not to be incessent chatterboxes spouting declarations of their errors in doctrine. We do have this admonishment though; 1Pe 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

I hope you all realise that this is coming from a place of great sincerity and concern. Are we supposed to see people the believing christian under the church system as our enemies?

We are to love our enemies no matter who we perceive them to be.

Please respond to me as soon as you can as I'm in dire need of scriptural manifestation on this

Seeking the glory of God,
Kweli (Swahili word for truth)

Kwali, I have a couple questions though, what do you believe the "pearl of a great price" is, and what have the church members sold or given to obtain it?

His peace and Wisdom to you,

Joe