Yes please! I have enjoyed your gifts. I'm particularly interested to see support for your idea that "there most assuredly is an indication the [money] could be lost with use" - if you would highlight that for me that I should clearly see it
Ok, I only focused slightly on the taking away, but it is nevertheless mentioned a few times here. I underlined with weak highlight verses and sentences that apply, and
bolded the one statement/verse that I think especially does apply to your question. So read that one and we can discuss it further.
All Wisdom And Revelation Is Hidden In Christ Jesus, Part 1
Most Christian preaching today arises merely from tradition. Rarely do you hear anyone share genuine revelation from God, and if you do, what is usually touted as a "revelation" often turns out to be little more than spurious nonsense. But during New Testament times this was not at all the case. The Spirit of God was revealing mysteries to the church. This is made clear by what Paul wrote to the Corinthians in his first letter:
We speak wisdom amongst the mature, only not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are [in the process of] being deposed. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery which has been hidden, which God preordained for our glory before time, which none of the rulers of this age had known, for if they had known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But just as has been written, "Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor has it at all entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for those who love Him." But God revealed them unto us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searches into all things, even the deepest plans of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? So also no one knew the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. And we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit from God, that we might know what has been granted unto us by God. (1 Corinthians 2:6-12)
As Paul stated clearly here, the Spirit was searching into the deepest mysteries and plans of God, and revealing them to His saints. This is why Paul also told the Corinthians that Christ had been made unto them wisdom from God (1 Corinthians 1:30). As a result of their faith in Christ, the Spirit of God was being poured out upon the early church, the same Spirit Christ Himself promised would lead them into all truth (1 John 2:27), and reveal to them the mysteries of God.
Thus, Paul likewise now told the Colossians how God desired to make known to them the mysteries of God, specifically here the mystery of Christ within them, their hope of glory. That they would come to a full recognition of this mystery is what Paul was continually praying for, agonizing in the Spirit with inexpressible groanings:
God wished to make known what the abundance of the glory of this mystery is amongst the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, whom we preach, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfected in Him, unto which I also labor [in prayer], agonizing in accord with His supernatural energy, which manifests within me in power. For I want you to know what great agonizing I sustain on your behalf, and those in Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts, having been united together in love, might also be exhorted to attain unto all the abundance of assurance that comes through understanding, [and] attain to a recognition of the mystery of God, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 1:28-2:3)
Part of understanding this mystery involved recognizing that the Gentiles had been made joint-heirs with Christ, and partakers of eternal life with Him, specifically because they had been made members of the same body in Him through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. As Paul would tell the Ephesians:
By revelation it was made known unto me the mystery... which in other generations was not made known unto the sons of men, as is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit, that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (Ephesians 3:3, 5-6)
But in Colossians he went a step further, adding that in Christ were hidden "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," the implication being that because they were now members of the body of Christ through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they now had access to all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Properly understood, virtually no revelation would be withheld from them if they sought it from God through the Spirit. They had been given the mind of Christ, and therefore all the mysteries of God could now be revealed to the church, something God preordained in advance for their glory.
How sad that most believers today struggle to understand even basic scripture, and rely on others to explain it to them. And in most cases, their leaders cannot explain it to them accurately either, since they were raised on their own traditions rather than being taught to seek genuine revelation from the Spirit themselves. As a result, Satan has duped the church into a terrible state of spiritual blindness. It is time for the church to again wake up to the fact that, whether corporately or individually as believers, we have access to all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are hidden in Christ.
Mysteries Were Being Revealed To The Churches
Lest anyone argue that the Lord only wished to reveal the mysteries of God to His apostles and prophets, our text for this study states very clearly that God wished to make known the glory of the mystery of God among the Gentiles (Colossians 1:28). This is also confirmed by what Paul was trying to communicate to the Corinthians when he advised them that walking in love was the most important thing:
If I speak with the tongues of men and angels but do not have love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And if I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, yet do not have love, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-2)
The Corinthians were practicing speaking in tongues and prophecy. It naturally follows, then, that all these abilities Paul mentioned here were possible to the Corinthians, including the possibility of understanding all mysteries, or these words would have been irrelevant to them.
Indeed, a close look at the teachings of Jesus Himself reveals that even the most basic parables were given to believers specifically to reveal the mysteries of God to them. For instance, Jesus told His disciples that the Parable of the Sower was one of several that would reveal the mysteries concerning the kingdom of God to them:
And His disciples asked Him, saying, "What might this parable be about?" And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but unto the rest [I speak] in parables, so that in seeing they may not see, and in hearing they may not understand." (Luke 8:9-10)
And having come to Him, His disciples said to Him, "Why do You speak in parables to them?" And having answered, He said to them, "Because to you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been given." (Matthew 13:10-11)
As we shall see, in explaining the Parable of the Sower and the parables that followed, Jesus was very clearly trying to communicate to His disciples was the paramount importance of growing in revelation from God.
Growth In Revelation: Limited Only By The Believer
And He was teaching them many things in parables, and saying to them in His teaching, "Listen. Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it came to pass that, in sowing, some [seed] fell near the path, and the birds came and devoured it. And some fell on stony ground where it did not have much earth, and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun arose it was scorched, and because it did not have much root it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it did not yield fruit. Yet another [seed] fell into good ground and was yielding fruit, growing up and increasing, and bearing [fruit] in thirty, and sixty, and one hundred fold increments." And He said to them, "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear." (Mark 4:2-9)
Despite what is commonly taught, this parable is not about the superficial, watered down presentation of "the gospel" as it is understood today. Rather, it is a parable about the growth of ever-increasing revelation within believers regarding the mysteries of the kingdom. The amount of revelation each received concerning the mysteries of God would be limited only by the believer himself.
Starting with Jesus' explanation of the Parable of the Sower, as recorded in Mark:
And He said to them… "The sower sows the word.
And these are the seeds where the word is being sown by the pathway, and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word having been sown into them. And these are in like manner the seeds being sown upon the rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy, yet have no root in themselves but are temporary. Then, with affliction and persecution having arisen because of the word, immediately they are scandalized. And these are the seeds being sown among the thorns. These are the ones hearing the word, yet the anxieties of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in, choke out the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And these are the seeds having been sown upon the good ground, such as hear the word and receive it, and bring forth fruit in thirty, and sixty, and one hundredfold increments." (Mark 4:14-20)
Unfortunately, most were like the seed sown by the path, i.e. they were like hard, unreceptive ground. The birds of the air here represented demons, who were constantly seeking to hinder souls from hearing the truth and receiving revelation. This is why even today many encounter distractions when trying to read strong material, or when being witnessed to in public. It's no accident when the phone immediately starts ringing, "friends" pass by, or a dozen other potential distractions begin occurring.
Sadly, many willfully allow themselves to be hindered from growing in revelation, such as was also the case with the next two groups. Some would not be able to endure the intense heat of persecution, whereas others would allow the concerns of this life, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things to greatly limit the amount of attention they devoted to growing in the word. As a result, the word would be choked out. But some of the seed would fall on good soil that produced thirty, sixty and one hundred fold.
Thirty, sixty, and one hundred fold of what exactly? If the "seed" represented the word of God at the start of this parable, i.e. revelation concerning the mysteries of the kingdom, it only follows that the seed produced by the good soil represent the exact same thing: A thirty, sixty, and one hundredfold increase in revelation concerning the mysteries. God's will was that the saints minister to one another by growing in revelation to the place where they began planting seed into others as well, who likewise became new "ground" for the seed to grow within.
The Lord then added several more parables to make this point even more clear:
And He was saying to them, "Is a lamp brought that it may be put under bushel basket, or under a bed, and not that it may be placed on a lamp stand? For nothing is hidden which shall not be made manifest, nor is anything kept secret but that it should come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. (Mark 4:21-23)
Jesus was telling them here that HE was the light of the world, and had been sent by God to be "placed on a lamp stand," i.e. lifted up as the source of all spiritual light. If the disciples only turned to Him, He would grant them revelation concerning all things, so much so that nothing that was hidden would not be made manifest, and nothing that had been kept secret would not be brought to light. The only limitations to their receiving revelation would be the ones they placed upon themselves.
"To Him Who Has, More Will Be Given. But... "
However, there was also a warning that came with this opportunity. As Jesus taught in the Parable of the Sower, the Devil would seek to keep them from receiving revelation by stealing away the word, or causing it to whither under persecution, or choking it out through anxieties and the desires for other things. Thus, those who allowed Satan to lure them into neglecting to take advantage of the opportunity Christ was giving them would face judgment for it:
And He was saying to them, "Give attentiveness to what you hear. With whatever measure you use it shall be measured to you, and unto you that hear shall more be given. For whoever may have, to him shall [more] be given.
But whoever does not have, from him shall be taken away even what he has." (Mark 4:24-25)
Again, the context here was that they now had the opportunity for all the mysteries of the kingdom of God to be revealed to them. How much they received from God depended entirely on them. If they set the measure high and were diligent to keep asking God for it, they would receive abundance of revelation, so they were not to limit themselves by setting this bar too low out of a lack of self-confidence before God.
But there was also a grave responsibility involved here. Christ was giving them a great opportunity to grow in unlimited revelation from God. But if they neglected to do so, they risked coming under judgment for spiritual laziness. Jesus explained this in another parable, often referred to as the Parable of the Talents:
Again, [the kingdom of Heaven] will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five talents more. So also, the one with two talents gained two more. But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his lord's money.
After a long time the Lord of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five talents brought the other five, saying, "Lord, you delivered unto me five talents. Behold, I have gained five more."
His Lord said unto him, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things. I will appoint you over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord!"
And having come, the one given two talents said, "Lord, you delivered unto me two talents. Behold, I have gained two more."
His Lord said unto him, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things. I will appoint you over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord!"
But having come, the one who had received one talent said, "Lord, I knew that you were a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter seed. And being fearful, having gone I went and hid your talent in the ground. Behold, you have what is yours."
His Lord replied, "You wicked and lazy servant! You knew that I reaped where I did not sow and gathered where I did not scattered seed? Then you should have put my silver on deposit with the bankers, and then having come I would have received mine own with interest."
"Therefore, take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For unto everyone who has shall [more] be given, and he shall have an abundance.
But from him who does not have, even what [little] he has shall be taken from him. And cast into outer darkness the useless servant. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 25:15-30)
As will be explained even more clearly in Part 2, this parable was not about gifts or "talents." It was about the responsibility believers, especially the disciples, would have of increasing in revelation from God. This is why it likewise ends with the words, "For unto everyone who has shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance. But from him who does not have, even what little he has shall be taken from him." The talent was a unit of measure in ancient times equal to about 71 pounds in weight. By today's standards, a talent of silver would be worth roughly $17,000. But the money in this parable represented being entrusted by God with something far more valuable in His eyes: What Jesus described as "the true riches," i.e. revelation granted by God through His Spirit. Each man was to increase in it "according to his ability," which is why all were given different amounts, yet all were expected to grow in it in proportion to what they had been given.
The Extent To Which God Wanted The Word To Grow
In the next parable, Jesus yet again made it abundantly clear to the disciples that the responsibility to grow in revelation was entirely theirs, not God's:
And He was saying, "Thus is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed upon the earth, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and arise in length, [exactly] how he does not know. For the earth brings forth fruit of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full wheat seed within the head of grain. And when the fruit delivers itself up, immediately he sends in the sickle, for the harvest has come." (Mark 4:26-29)
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus was the man casting seed upon the earth, and the earth represented the believer. Thus, the statement that "the earth brings forth fruit of itself" meant that the responsibility for growing in revelation rested entirely with the believer. After planting seed in the earth, the Lord of the harvest would sleep day and night, waiting patiently for the ground itself to bring forth the fruit, until it was time to put in the sickle and reap the harvest.
What is especially interesting about this parable is that it insinuates the Lord is not looking for a harvest of believers so much as for a harvest of His word, i.e. revelation concerning the kingdom of Heaven, which will grow until it increases to such a level that the Lord finally decides it's time to send in the angels to reap.
The Lord was not done, however. The next parable would illustrate how much He intended for the word to grow. Here Jesus was prophesying that revelation within His growing church would eventually become so great that even the angels of God would be taught the mysteries of the kingdom through His people:
And He was saying, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we compare it? It is as a grain of mustard seed, which, when it has been sown on the earth is less than all the seeds on the earth. Yet when it has been sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all the herbs, and produces great branches, such that the birds of Heaven are able to lodge beneath its shade." (Mark 4:30-32)
The "grain of mustard seed" represented Christ, the Word of God Himself, the implication being that through His body, the church, the Word would eventually grow to such size that the angels of God would be able to "lodge beneath its shade," i.e. be ministered to. In the Parable of the Sower, the birds represented Satan and his angels, who came to steal the word away. Here, the birds represented the angels of God, who were charged with watching over the church as guardians. Because the spiritual gifts would be in operation in the churches, and therefore God Himself would be granting revelation through Divine utterance, the angels of God would be receiving revelation indirectly from their Creator through the church.
This is what the apostle Paul was referring to in his letter to the Ephesians:
To me, less than the least of all the saints, was given this grace to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles, the incomprehensible riches of Christ, and to bring to light what the administration of this mystery is which has been hidden in God from [previous] ages, He having created us all, so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known [even] unto principalities and authorities in the heavens through the church, in accordance with the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ephesians 3:8-11)
Lest anyone assume the angels already know all the mysteries of God, the scriptures do not teach this. The prophet Daniel recorded witnessing one angel asking another when and for how long the prophecies revealed to him concerning the Antichrist would take place. A second angel could only tell him it would be for "a time, times, and half a time," i.e. three and a half years, and that it would take place when the power of the holy people was finally broken. Yet when Daniel asked essentially the same questions, he was informed that these mysteries were still "sealed," meaning neither he nor the angels of God were permitted to know them yet:
“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then... Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two [angels], one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. One of them said to the one clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” The one clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by Him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people has finally been broken, all these things will be fulfilled.” I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My Lord, when will the end of all this be?” He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand." (Daniel 12:1, 5-10)
In referring to this passage, the apostle Peter likewise testified that the Spirit was now revealing to the churches prophecies which the angels themselves had long desired to understand:
...for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls, regarding which salvation the prophets, having prophesied of the grace predestined for you, undertook research and investigation, searching into the time and circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was disclosing when He testified beforehand of the sufferings [to take place] until the coming of Christ, and the glories [to follow] afterwards, to whom it was revealed that not to themselves but to you they were ministering these prophesies, which have now been conveyed unto you by those having preached the gospel to you through the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven, [prophecies] which angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:9-13)
These Parables Would Reach Fulfillment In the End-Times
Do these parables still relate to us today, insinuating that we still have the responsibility to increase in revelation from God? More than ever. As is evident, these parables related to the end-time harvest. In the Parable of the Farmer, Jesus said, "Thus is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed upon the earth... and when the fruit delivers itself up, immediately he sends in the sickle, for the harvest has come." So, too, in the Parable of the Talents, Jesus stated early in the story, "After a long time the Lord of those servants returned, and settled accounts with them." Thus, it is a parable about what will take place when He settles accounts with His servants at His second coming.
So also should it be understood that, whereas scripture refers to the two outpourings of the Holy Spirit as the "former and latter rain," in Israel the former rain served the purpose of watering the ground so the seed could be planted. Yet it was only after the latter rains came that the real growth took place, produced the fruit, and brought about the harvest. In the spiritual, this means the time when the word of God will grow most in the earth is still years ahead of us.
So should congregations as well as individual believers be increasing in revelation from God now, even before the latter rains finally come? Most certainly. As I teach repeatedly, when New Testament times believers gathered together, they each brought teachings and revelations from God. Rather than letting one man or woman do all the talking, they were all edifying one another in the word. We will not return to living out true Christianity until we return to doing so ourselves:
What is it, then, brothers? Whenever you may come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. (1 Corinthians 14:26)
