The Kingdom of God

"And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me" (Lk. 19:11-27).

We see some powerful but simplistic truth revealed in this extensive parable told by Jesus. Of course the "nobleman [that] went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return," is referring to Jesus coming to the earth to establish his kingdom, and leaving to come back at a later time to receive the kingdom unto himself. The 'pounds' which he delivered to his servants represent the new birth experience that puts us into the kingdom of God, which is to say the baptism of the holy Ghost administered by Jesus from heaven (I Cor. 12:13). Where it says "his citizens hated him," and refused to let him rule over them, it needs to be understood that these were citizens of his kingdom, which is to say they represent those who have been born into the kingdom of God by the Spirit baptism as noted above (Jn. 3:5). When the nobleman returned to reckon with his kingdom, those who had gained money from the money he had given them, represent those who are in the kingdom of God who follow after the righteousness of God; bear fruit, and produce righteousness in those around them. Those who did so in the parable were rewarded for their deeds, and they represent those who will be rewarded by being included in the millennial reign of Christ. That is the meaning of the reference to them ruling over cities. The man who gave the pound back to his master with no gain represents someone who is counting on the fact that they have been born again, to save them in the end; without actually following after the Spirit of God in righteousness on an ongoing basis. He was given the same monetary substance as the ones who produced more, but he did nothing with it. He thought to be rewarded simply because he still had the money, but the harsh reality was that it was taken away from him and given to someone else; so he ended up with nothing.

This fearful reality is spoken of by Jesus in another parable as follows: "The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (Mat. 13:41,42). No one could be cast out of the kingdom of God unless they had been born again, because Jesus clearly told us, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (Jn. 3:3). Being cast out of the kingdom of God is having one's birthright to the kingdom, which is the Spirit of God, taken away from them, even as the man in the parable had his pound taken away from him and given to another. Then we have the same thing manifest on a larger scale when the master of the kingdom commanded that his 'enemies' who would not submit to his rule be brought before him and put to death. Let's be reminded that these were 'citizens' of his kingdom who refused to let him rule over them. So again, no one is a citizen of the kingdom of God unless they have received God's Spirit and been born again thereby (Rom. 8:9). The sad fact is that not everyone who believes on Jesus and receives the holy Ghost into their life, continues to "walk in the Spirit" and do the will of God (Gal. 5:16). The apostle Paul addressed that issue like this: "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" (II Tim. 2:20). Those who were born again and did not continue in holiness till the end will stand before Jesus at the judgment, and be sentenced to 'the second death,' which is the lake of fire and brimstone where the devil and his angels are already sentenced to (Rev. 20:14; Mat. 25:41).

Too many believers are too timid about this sobering reality of the scriptures, and don't really want to admit that they could and will be lost if they do not continue in holiness till the end, though the entire Bible shows this to be true: "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). We are supposed to be saved, and that is exactly why Jesus died for us, as it is written: "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Thess. 5:9). But the scriptures are replete with admonitions and warnings that remind us that we must finish our course without sin in order to fulfill that calling: "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it... Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief" (Heb. 4:1,11). Those are just a couple of moderate verses on the topic, and I would have to practically write a book here to include everything that confirms the point. Nonetheless, as the apostle says in this passage, and as the entire Bible as well as God's Spirit teaches us; there is a very good reason that the fear of the Lord is one of the top virtues present with the faithful of all generations of faith in God. But it's certain that this parable is a stark reminder that all men, including believers, will be judged according to their works, even as the entire Bible teaches. If we have done well, and finish our course as we began it, then obviously our 'judgment' will be one of good reward, like we see in the parable. But let no one be as the wicked servant in the parable, and think that because we have been given something by the Lord, namely the new birth experience; that we will receive a good reward in the end if we have not multiplied and reproduced from what has been given to us. Amen.