Chapter 7 – Spiritual Perfection Revealed
There is Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth
“For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”[1]
We are quickly approaching the final seven years of this age, also known as the seventieth week of Daniel. This final seven year period referred to by many biblical scholars as the tribulation is a time such as has never occurred before upon the earth. The saints of God have a way to escape what will be weeping and gnashing of teeth for the rest of the earth. It is the rapture or the gathering together of the saints into Christ.
Those who miss being hidden in the day of trouble will weep greatly and see a time of trouble as none other before it. God has stored up his righteous wrath for all ungodliness. Paul foresaw this and wrote, “Because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”[2] This day of wrath is none other than the tribulation. While the revelation of the righteous judgment, is the revelation of Jesus Christ and His righteous judgment described throughout the Book of Revelation.
Thankfully the bible says, “God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”[3] God’s wrath is for the ungodly and those who stubbornly would not receive the free gift of salvation provided through His son. People receive God’s wrath not because God is unloving or unmerciful, but because they have rejected His love and His mercy which is His Son Jesus Christ.
The Son of God gave us seven parables that reveal who will be taken and who will be left behind. For those who are left behind there is weeping and gnashing of teeth as they realize what they have missed and what they must face. But wrath has not been appointed for those who love him. Those who embraced the Father’s Love have two hands to the plow and eyes heavenward, waiting “for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.”[4]
Warned to flee
Seven times Jesus makes reference to weeping and gnashing of teeth. These are the only time in the entire bible that weeping and gnashing of teeth are mentioned together. Jesus puts together an entire teaching on preparedness and faithfulness that servants show while their Master is away. These faithful ones are spared the terrible wrath to come while the unfaithful weep and gnash their teeth over what they have missed.
There is one Old Testament reference to gnashing of teeth in which the righteous are spared and the wicked are judged. It is found in Psalm 112 verses 6-10;
“The righteous will be remembered forever [almost like a reference to the book of remembrance]. He will not fear evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is upheld, he will not fear, until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries. He has given freely to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be exalted in honor. The wicked will see it and be vexed; he will gnash his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked will perish.”[5]
There is only one escape from God’s righteous wrath and it is repentance and trusting in Jesus alone. John the Baptist was not a feel good preacher, he just told it like it was. When he saw Pharisees and Sadducees receiving the message that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, he yelled, “Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”[6] We read these words and almost want to laugh at what a rough and tough talking preacher, he was. But John follows up these words by saying, “Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance.”
Prophetically John talks about a wrath to come and these Pharisees and Sadducees found the way. They came forward for baptism and entrance into the kingdom through baptism and repentance. We are meant to enter into the kingdom and put our hands to the plow and bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance. John finally warned, “Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and throne into the fire.” This fire is the fiery tribulation.
It is not enough to flee from the wrath by repenting. John teaches; if we repent then bring forth fruit in keeping with our repentance. This fruit is following the will of the Father. Jesus confirmed this when He taught, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.”[7]
Each of these seven parables with weeping and gnashing of teeth that Jesus teaches is warning to flee the wrath to come, many of them making reference to the fruit in keeping with repentance. In the parables there are those who are faithful while others are faithless. Those who embrace the truth while other let the words go in one ear and out the other. There are those who bear good fruit and those who bear none.
God is a good God and He has given us His words of life that all who embrace them and His Son shall be saved from the judgment about to come upon the earth. This is exactly how it is recorded in John 3:17-18, it says; “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”[8] The Lord gives warning in advance allowing His Spirit to move upon the hearts of people to embrace truth. He will not bring judgment on those He calls righteous. Any righteous who have embraced the truth and kept His word shall be removed, before judgment comes.
On the day Lot left Sodom
Remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Jesus warned that His coming will be like unto the days of the flood of Noah and the day that Lot went out from Sodom, saying, “It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.”[9] The Greek word here for revealed is Apokalupto which is the root for the word Apokalupsis or the Greek name of the Book of Revelation. Jesus is saying the day Lot went out of Sodom will be the same as when the Apolalupsis of Jesus Christ[10] which John recorded in the last book of the Bible. So let’s take a quick look at the story of Sodom and Gomorrah paying close attention to the day that Lot left.
Genesis 18 records that the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed?”[11] The LORD tells Abraham, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.”[12]
Abraham then begins negotiating with God on behalf of the city using the righteous as His negotiating tool saying, “Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt Thou indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it?”[13]
But His next statement may be the most telling of the coming seven year tribulation upon the earth as Abraham says to the Lord, “Far be it from Thee to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from Thee! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”[14]
As this story unfolds we see that the righteous and the wicked are not treated alike. The Judge of all the earth does deal justly and does not dole out punishment that is intended for the wicked and yet falls upon the heads of the righteous.
The LORD replies that He will not for the sake of fifty. Then Abraham negotiates forty-five, then forty, then thirty, then twenty, and finally if there be just ten righteous in the city the LORD should not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham knew Lot and his wife and two daughters were in the city so there only needed to be six others, but there were not six more.
However, instead of sweeping away the righteous with the wicked, the LORD provided an escape; allowing the righteous to escape the wrath to come upon Sodom. The Angel of the LORD told Lot and his wife and daughter to get to their appointed place of refuge saying, “Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”[15]
Sadly, although warned and filled with the knowledge of the judgment, Lot’s wife turned back. She became a pillar of salt. Jesus warned, “Remember Lot’s wife.”[16] She turned back though warned and did not receive deliverance that she had knowledge of.
Jesus warns us in the same way saying, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”[17] I pray this insight will help you plow ahead, not turning back.
The sons of the Kingdom shall be cast out
As we examine these seven parables in the order they appear in the New Testament watch for a distinction between those who profess to be believers and those who bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance. Notice there is a group who has heard the message and another who follows the message.
The first mention of weeping and gnashing of teeth appears in the 8th Chapter of Matthew where Jesus speaks regarding the faith of the Roman centurion. Jesus expounds to His disciples the following, because of the faith He saw in this Gentile soldier:
“Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled, and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. And I say to you, that many shall come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”[18]
So the context of this first story is that Jesus marveling that He had not found such great faith of anyone in all of Israel. Yet Israel, the sons of the kingdom, doesn’t end up dinning at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Instead it is Gentiles from the east and the west that end up at a banquet. Why? Because of faith!
These sons of the kingdom had heard the message, yet never really believed. So Jesus tells everyone present that many will come from the east and the west. These Gentiles will then recline at the table with the great patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; while the sons of Jacob, the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out.
These sons of Jacob are the first group that are cast out and will see the weeping and gnashing of teeth of the tribulation. The prophet Jeremiah saw this period of tribulation that the sons of Jacob would face. Jeremiah wrote, “Alas! For that day is great, there is none like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s distress.”[19] The King James Version calls it a time of Jacob’s trouble.
This time of Jacob’s trouble is not some random period of time it refers to a period of seven years. In the 29th Chapter of Genesis is the story of how Jacob worked and toiled seven years for a bride. The time of Jacob’s trouble is in reference to these seven years. The sons of Jacob [Israel] because of unbelief are cast out to that place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The first key to escaping the wrath to come is your faith, which Peter said, “Your faith, being more precious than gold.”[20] Those who have faith in the Son are promised to dine with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This great banquet is both described in Isaiah as well as the book of Revelation and I will explore further the things which shall take place in heaven during the tribulation for those who where faithful to the Son in chapter ten.
Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
Next is a parable Jesus told and has been appropriately titled the parable of the Wheat and the Tares. This is one of two parables that Jesus Himself decodes for us. We are going to look at both the parable and what Jesus said about decoding it. It’s in Matthew 13 beginning in verse 24, it says:
“He presented another parable to them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat prang up and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ And the slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No; lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn then up; but gather the wheat into my barn’.”[21]
Please note the weeping and gnashing of teeth is not revealed in this parable until Jesus decodes the parable. So after Jesus told this parable to the crowds His disciples pull Him aside and ask that He tell them the meaning. Continuing in verse 36 it says:
“Then He left the multitudes, and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.’ And He answered and said, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”[22]
So there are two groups; those saved from the wrath and those who will face a time of trouble like no other. These groups are those who receive truth by Jesus and those who receive the lies of the devil. The part of this parable that shows me that the weeping and gnashing of teeth is the seven year tribulation is the quote that Jesus gives directly from the prophet Daniel. Let’s take a quick look at the context which Jesus is quoting from in Daniel chapter 12:
“And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, who is found written in the book, will be rescued. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. And those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”[23]
You can see that a time of distress such as never has occurred refers to the tribulation. Notice that the dust of the ground will awake this takes place at the rapture where the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then those who are alive shall be caught up. And those found written in the book are rescued from the wrath to come. The question becomes which book do you need to be written in to escape the wrath to come? The prophet Malachi gives us the answer, beginning in Malachi 3:16:
“Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name. ‘And they will be Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him. For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth about like calves from the stall’.”[24]
You can see how we have come full circle; the wheat is spared like a man spares his own son who serves him. God distinguishes between those who have His word and are righteous and those who are the sons of the evil one. It echoes of the words record by Abraham, “Wilt Thou indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?”[25]
God is just and will spare the righteous while the wicked will be chaff burning in the fiery furnace of the tribulation. It is that day which all evildoers will be set ablaze just like in our parable of the wheat and the tare.
The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet
Our first two parables really point to the fact that the weeping and gnashing of teeth takes place during the tribulation. The tribulation is referred to a time of Jacob’s trouble, so we know that Jacob and his unbelieving sons will not be dinning at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as pointed out in our first parable.
Our second parable reveals that there are those who follow the words of Christ while others are fooled by the enemy and follow the ways of the devil. Our third parable may be the scariest so far. Its one thing to say that unsaved Jews will face the tribulation or that those fooled the devil and his schemes will partake in God’s righteous judgment. But it is entirely something else to look into the church and see so many, who heard the teachings of Christ and yet did not follow His teachings, and then face the tribulation.
The third parable is also found in Matthew 13. It is called the parable of the dragnet. This is a parable about fish. Now a fish is the oldest symbol of Christianity. The fish literally symbolizes a follower of Christ. Remember when Jesus called Peter and told him, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”[26]
The symbol of the fish was the first used by Christians to identify one another after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. If two strangers who came upon one another and wanted to identify if the other was a Christian one of them would draw an arc in the dirt with his staff, if the other person drew another arc on the bottom side of the first arc forming a fish. The two would know they are each Christians (fish). With this in mind let’s examine the parable:
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. So it will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”[27]
The reason why this is the scariest parable so far is that these fish are all believers, but somehow among all these church goers. There are good fish and bad fish. So at the end of the age, the good are separated and put into containers while the bad are cast into the fiery tribulation. The good fish going into the containers reminds me of what Isaiah wrote; “Come, my people, enter into your rooms, and close your doors behind you; Hide for a little while, until indignation runs its course.”[28]
Another little nugget in this parable that you should notice is that the fish are of every kind, almost like they are “men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”[29] Then they drew the net up on the beach reminding us that the children of Abraham would number like the sands of the sea.[30] Paul wrote that this gathering of the fish would not take place “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”[31] And in this parable it wasn’t until the net was full that it was pulled into shore.
This small four verse parable shows us something absolutely terrifying, which is that not all of us sitting in the pews every Sunday are going to be raptured. The coming parables will decode the difference between the good fish and the bad fish.
A King who gave a wedding feast
This may be one of my favorite parables regarding the end of age and the coming of Jesus. It is our fourth parable and has been called the parable of the Marriage Feast. This is another parable which reveals what is going on in heaven during the seven year tribulation on earth. We learn from the 19th Chapter of Revelation that the greatest event during the tribulation while be taking place in heaven and it’s called the marriage supper of the Lamb. Those saints who have been raptured from the earth are the attendees of this great banquet.
Jesus tells His disciples a parable about this great wedding banquet, “Saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king, who gave a wedding for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.” But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. But the king was enraged and sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and set their city on fire. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ And those slaves went out into the streets, and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw there a man not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And he was speechless. ‘Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”[32]
There is so much to decode within this parable. First we see the Father is giving a great wedding for his son, the bridegroom. Sixteen times throughout the New Testament Jesus is referred to as the bridegroom. We also learn from careful study of the New Testament that the Church is His bride. Paul wrote, “For I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.”[33]
The original bride was to be Israel, but the Lord gave her a bill of divorcement.[34] The first ones invited to this great banquet where the children of Israel, however they rejected the invitation. So the Lord sent armies to destroy her city and this was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when Jerusalem was destroyed by the armies of Rome.
The next part of the parable is the evangelistic call that Jesus gave to His believer, we know this call as the great commission. Jesus commissioned His disciples as follows; “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”[35] This commission is through to the end of the age. I love how the evangelist J. John puts it, “Christianity is giving out an invitation to a party that is out of this world.”[36]
The last part of the parable is about someone who does not have wedding clothes being cast out where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Don’t ask me how they got to the wedding in the first place, but it is clear in the parable, no wedding clothes, no wedding supper. What wedding clothes is Jesus talking about and how do I get the clothes? We will need to turn to Revelation 19:7 which reads:
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the sants. And he said to me, “Write, Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”[37]
The wedding clothes were given to the bride to clothe herself and these clothes are her righteous acts. No righteous acts equals no wedding clothes and no wedding clothes means do wedding supper. Wedding clothes are for faithful and sensible servants.
Who then is the faithful and sensible slave?
This parable illustrates that not everyone that claims Jesus as Lord actually serves Him. It also shows that this is an end of age parable talking of a master who had gone away. This master who had been a long time in His coming is secretly returning at a day and hour they did not know. This is again another reference to the feast of trumpets, in which nobody knows the day or the hour.
Jesus tells the following parable to His disciples: “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ and shall begin to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and shall cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; weeping shall be there and the gnashing of teeth.”[38]
The first thing Jesus says is very straight forward; we do not know which day He is coming. But the next thing he says is that if the head of the house had known the Kairos of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on alert. The question becomes, who is the head of the house? In a home it is the father and husband, while in the church the head of the house is the pastor. Either way it is someone who should have known better. This head of the house is a hypocrite and is assigned a place with the hypocrites.
So Jesus tells us be on alert because we don’t know the day but if we know the season or the appointed time we will be on alert. So Jesus says, “Be ready.” Then He asks, “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave?”
Jesus then describes this faithful and sensible slave feeding people at their proper time. We are to feed people with Jesus, with His love, with His message, and His healing. Doing what Jesus did. His disciples are giving out the same message He did, preaching “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”[39] We have are in charge of his possessions and He has called us to “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons; freely you received, freely give.”[40]
But the evil lazy servant says, “My master is not coming for a long time.” This slave has ignored the call of his master, ignored the gifts that he was to share with his world. The master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and sadly this slave will face the tribulation having his place with the hypocrites, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Each of these seven parables is for those who should have known. They had the message but didn’t hold fast to the words of their master. These are not parable about believers and unbelievers. Instead, most of these parables are to believers but only a portion is truly faithful and sensible.
Parable of the talents
Our sixth parable with weeping and gnashing of teeth shows our responsibility as faithful and sensible servants. The greatest gift we receive from God is the free gift of eternal life, “The gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.”[41] Our imparted command of the Lord is to share Him with the world. Peter wrote, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”[42]
Through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus we have this greatest of gifts, namely eternal life. The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”[43] All our sin has earned a paycheck of death, our wages should be death. But praise be to God for the free gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”[44]
The bible says a good steward of God’s grace will share this gift with others. Let’s look at our longest of the seven parable and see what Jesus said about what we have been given and being a faithful steward of this great and precious gift. This parable begins at Mathew 25:14 and reads;
“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the ground, and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. And the one who had received the five talents came up and brought fir more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me; see, I have gained five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.’ The one also who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted to me two talents; see, I have gained two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground; see, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ For to everyone who has shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. And cast out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”[45]
We have talked about in a previous chapter how this parable is about a measurement given to servants based on the Dunamis. Dunamis describes the power and ability that is beyond that of man, it is power from on high, it is His power. So each of the servants is given a measurement based on the Dunamis each has received from on high. It can be easily seen once you slow down in your reading of the parable that this parable is about us sharing the free gift of eternal life, just look at what the master says to the servant who had one talent, one measurement.
“You knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I scattered no seed.” Jesus sows seeds of the truth good news into the lives of those who are dying, by doing so He reaps a harvest of souls for the Father. Remember the final command from Jesus, it starts out, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore…”[46] Jesus is saying to each of us, His disciples, His followers, “Go therefore, because You know that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I scattered no seed!”
Let me just repeat the opening of this parable, “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them.” What does Jesus possess? He possesses Eternal Life! He gives out Eternal Life! Jesus in his greatest prayer recorded in John chapter 17 prayed, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee, even as Thou gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou hast given Him, He may give eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.”[47]
Jesus prayed for the ones the Father had given to him. He prayed, “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine… While I was with them, I was keeping them in Thy name which Thou hast given Me; and I guarded them, and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”[48] Jesus wasn’t worried about the ones he didn’t reach but only the ones who the Father had put in His hand. Who has God put in your hand, in your life? Those are the ones we have been commanded to feed from what He possesses and gives to us.
The wicked lazy servant is the one who does not share the Eternal Life, he has been given. This worthless slave is cast out and into the tribulation. This wicked lazy servant took his eternal life went home and buried his treasure in his backyard where there would be no return on what the Lord had invested in him. Share what the Lord has freely given you, so that you can hear the words, “Well done good and faithful servant!”
Enter by the Narrow Door
The last parable in the order as they appear in the New Testament with weeping and gnashing of teeth is the only one not found in the book of Matthew. This parable is about a door, those who enter and those who are left outside. In the parable there are those invited in who dine with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and those who are left out to go through the tribulation.
“And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, ‘Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?’ And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; Depart from Me, all you evildoers.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being cast out. And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”[49]
Eerily, the words of this parable are similar to the words Jesus spoke which are recorded in Matthew chapter 7:21, where it says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus replies to those who do not enter, “Depart from me, I never knew you.”[50] The statement that stands out is, “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door,” it’s too late! If you have been left behind, it’s too late to start serving God. It’s too late and they will know it, because they will “begin to stand outside and knock on the door”.
After reviewing the first six parables the one point that stands out in this parable is that they did not intimately know the Lord. They ate and drank in His presence, He taught in their streets, but they did not intimately know Him. This reminds me that Judas left everything to follow the Lord, Judas healed the sick, Judas cast out demons, and Judas is in hell.
How many are serving the Lord today out of obligation rather than relationship. John the Baptist reminds us that our repentance must bring forth fruit worthy of repentance. Yet I am reminded of the church in Ephesus which Jesus wrote to, the first of the seven churches of Asia. He wrote to them:
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.”[51]
If this was my local church and this letter up to this point had been sent to my pastor, the entire church body would be doing cartwheels. They are a working church they persevere and toil and do not endure evil men. They test false apostles and endure for the name sake of the Lord and have not grown weary. This is a great church!
But wait, Jesus says, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”[52] That just shoots the whole letter to pieces. No love and it don’t matter how many demons you cast out, how many sick you heal, how many messages you preach. No love, no Lover!
Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”[53] So many times we read this and want to think that if we really want to prove our love we will keep His commandments. But instead this is not what Jesus is saying. He is saying, “If you love me, really truly love me, keeping my commandments will not be a chore or a task, it will be easy. We don’t prove our love by keeping His commandments instead we love Him so much that keeping His commandments is easy.
The Pharasees and Saducess had found the way and John the Baptist called them out saying, “Who warned you to flee the wrath to come?” But the way was not new religious rules or obligations, instead the way was a person. Jesus is the way, He said that, “I am the way.”[54] The way is a person. It’s a relationship with a person.
And as much as we are called to bring forth fruit in keeping with our repentance. We bring this fruit out of a relationship. The church in Ephesus began bring forth this fruit out of obligation and Jesus told them, “I have one thing against you, you left your first love.” Should this church in Ephesus refuse to embrace their first love again, my guess is that they should prepare to hear the words, “I never knew you, depart from me.”
Our works should never be out of obligation but instead out of the relationship of love we have with our savior and Master. Sadly, in this parable we have a group of people who had heard the message but never lived it from the heart. They ate and drank with the Lord, yet they did not enter because they never truly knew the Lord. Therefore, they will miss out on the banquet in the kingdom of God.
Seven Reasons to Endure to the End
In the end these parables point to a relationship, not a set of rules or obligations. We are saved to come into relationship. When we search the scriptures to find out the requirements of God and then begin to make our checklist of things God requires we miss the whole point. Jesus said about people like this; “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life.”[55]
We are called into a relationship with the one the entire book is about. The first parable is about faith in Jesus. It’s not about birth right or religious affiliation, it’s about faith.
Our first parable showed we first need to hold fast to our faith. There are those who hear the message and don’t believe while others hear it and believe. It’s all about faith. It’s not birth right; it’s not religious affiliation, its faith. When we fall in love with the one the book is about, we will trust the book and will come to the one who gives life.
Our second parable teaches us that while we are going in our faith we may see others who appear to be believers but it is only those who hold fast to His word and His will who are the true believers. The enemy sows lies and Jesus said four times in Matthew 24, “Watch that you’re not deceived.”[56] The enemy is the father of lies and comes to steal, kill and destroy. So hold fast to the word of truth.
Third, we are taught that at the end of the age, the Lord will divide the true followers from those who are evil. It almost parallels the seventh letter to the church of Laodicea. I am reminded right now by the Spirit, “I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”[57]
Our fourth parable, we learn of an invitation to a wedding banquet where some have out right rejected the invitation. This banquet is a reward for the faithful followers of Christ; these faithful followers will be clothed in their righteous deeds. Sadly there are some who, “profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him.”[58] These who by their deeds deny Jesus will be left on the out of this great banquet.
The fifth parable, teaches us that a faithful servant isn’t playing games, he works as if his master could return at any time, while other evil servant mistreats his fellow servants and pass time with drunkards. Sadly, our Lord’s return will be a great surprise to these evil servants will also be left out.
Sixth, we learn that God has given each of us a measurement of His Spirit to go out and invest in this lost and dying world. All that the Father had given Jesus, Jesus gave eternal life.[59] Who has the Father given you? Are you investing in this world? The parable even reveals the Master is capable of reaping where He has not sown. Those who invest even where the Master has not sown can even bring in a harvest; while the lazy servant put in the ground what God has given him.
And last, we learn the road is narrow and when the door is shut, it is too late. It isn’t enough that we have eaten or preached with the Lord but we need to know Him intimately.
These parables are all for followers, people who have said, “I commit my life to the Lord.” But a verbal commitment isn’t enough our words must be backed up with a heart that is truly His and actions that match our words. Jesus was a man of word and deed and we need to follow in like manner, both in word and deed.
Sons of the Light
Jesus has given His message to the world and shortly we will see fulfilled, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.”[60] This is the message that He Himself gave many times saying, “For a little while longer the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the light, believe in the light, in order that you may become sons of light.”[61]
Our call is to believe in the one the Father has sent. We, who believe in the light, then become sons of the light. Paul in his letter to the believers in Thessalonica wrote to them about being sons of the light. Let’s look at a portion of what he wrote:
“But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”[62]
Wrath has not been appointed to those who love the light, those who walk in the light. John wrote saying, “But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”[63] We are called to believe and walk in the light. However some will hear the message of salvation and not truly believe.
The hour is quickly approaching where the Lord said, “He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.”[64] For it is written, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”[65]
He who has an Ear, let him Hear
The number seven holds special meaning in the Bible it is the number of divine perfection revealed. The book of Revelation the number seven is mentioned fifty-four times. Jesus gave us seven warnings that end for the unbelieving and those unfaithful there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus also gave seven letters to seven churches in Revelation. I implore you to go read them so that your heart can be examined in the context of the seven parables we just looked at together. I won’t publish those letters here, but take time and sit down and read all seven letters.
Please notice that these seven letters in Revelation are all given to His church. These seven parables along with the seven letters to His church hold the key to being found in His book of remembrance and being hidden on the day of His wrath. This may have been the most important chapter of the book because it teaches you the words spoken by Jesus both in admonition and in warning on how to escape what is soon coming on the earth. So just as Jesus stated when He explained the parable of the wheat and the tare and in all the letters to the churches in Revelation; “He who has an ear, let him hear.”[66] I pray these words over you, if you have an ear, hear!
[1] 1 Thessalonians 5:9
[2] Romans 2:5 Emphasis Added
[3] 1 Thessalonians 5:9
[4] 1 Thessalonians 1:10
[5] Psalm 112:6-10 Emphasis Added as well as note referring to Malachi 3:16
[6] Matthew 3:7
[7] Matthew 7:21
[8] John 3:17-18
[9] Luke 17:30 the word revealed is translated from the Greek word Apokalupto
[10] Revelation 1:1 Apokalupsis is the original Greek word translated as Revelation
[11] Genesis 18:17-18
[12] Genesis 18:20
[13] Genesis 18:24
[14] Genesis 18:25 Emphasis Added
[15] Genesis 19:22
[16] Luke 17:32
[17] Luke 9:62
[18] Matthew 8:10-12
[19] Jeremiah 30:7
[20] 1 Peter 1:7
[21] Matthew 13:24-30
[22] Matthew 13:36-43 italics Jesus quotes from Daniel 12:3, Emphasis Added
[23] Daniel 12:1-3 italics quoted by Jesus in Matthew 13:43
[24] Malachi 3:16-4:2
[25] Genesis 18:23
[26] Matthew 4:19
[27] Matthew 13:47-50 Emphasis Added
[28] Isaiah 26:20
[29] Revelation 5:9
[30] Genesis 22:17, Hebrews 11:12
[31] Romans 11:25
[32] Matthew 22:1-14 Emphasis Added
[33] 2 Corinthians 11:2
[34] Jeremiah 3:8
[35] Matthew 28:18-20
[36] J John The Invitation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gySDomW3Nug
[37] Revelation 19:7-9
[38] Matthew 24:42-51 Emphasis Added
[39] Matthew 10:7
[40] Matthew 10:8
[41] Romans 5:15
[42] 1 Peter 4:10
[43] Romans 6:23
[44] 2 Corinthians 9:15
[45] Matthew 25:14-30 Emphasis Added
[46] Matthew 28:19-20
[47] John 17:1-3 Emphasis Added
[48] John 17:9, 12
[49] Luke 13:23-30
[50] Matthew 7:22
[51] Revelation 2:1-3 Emphasis Added
[52] Revelation 2:4
[53] John 14:15
[54] John 14:6
[55] John 5:39-40
[56] Matthew 24:4-5, 11, 24
[57] Revelation 3:15-16
[58] Titus 1:16
[59] John 17:2
[60] Matthew 24:14
[61] John 12:35-36
[62] 1 Thessalonians 5:4-9
[63] 1 John 1:8
[64] Matthew 25:33
[65] John 3:36
[66] Matthew 13:43, Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29, & 3:6, 13, 22
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