Why Are We Here: Part 12

Are you willing to receive the Word with all readiness of mind?

Luke recorded by The Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 17:

10  That night the believers sent Paul and Silas off to the city of Berea, where they once again went into the synagogue.

11 They found that the Jews of Berea were of more noble character and much more open-minded than those of Thessalonica. They were hungry to learn and eagerly received the Word. Every day they opened the scrolls of Scripture to search and examine them, to verify that what Paul taught them was true.

12 A large number of Jews became believers in Jesus, along with quite a few influential Greek women and men.

Parables are prophetic in nature.

Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 25:

14  For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a Man traveling to a far country, who called His own servants and delivered His goods to them.

15 And to one He gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately He went on a journey.

The servants that Jesus was talking about here are His own servants— those who belong to Him. In other words, they’re believers. You can’t say that only two of the servants were saved and the third one was not. They were all “servants” and they were all “saved”—because they were all waiting for His return.

19  After a long time the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

To the first two servants, Jesus said:  ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’

24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.

25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

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

27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.

28 Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The word unprofitable simply means “not worthy of” (in the sense of not being fit or prepared).  This man was not worthy of entering the joy of the Lord’s Presence, because he had not been faithful, obedient, or persevering. Thus, he wasn’t qualified to enter the joy of the Lord.

The word cast out means he was cast forth from his original position grudgingly, a position he was once a part of but was now ejected, sent forth, and sent away. This Greek word is always used in connection with the outer darkness or the darkness outside.  It’s simply the darkness outside the light of God’s presence.  It’s a place outside the room where the obedient servants are enjoying God’s presence, but evidently contiguous to it.

In this darkness outside, the unfaithful servant will experience weeping and gnashing of teeth, which simply means “profound regret.” Keep in mind that God does not wipe away our tears until the end of the Millennium.  Jesus says, “I will wipe away all tears from their eyes,” speaking of Heaven, not the Millennium.  The outer darkness is “the darkness outside the limits of the lighted palace.

The Beloved Disciple speaks of darkness when he wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1 John 2:

9  He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.

10 He who Loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

It’s all about walking in Agape Love and producing fruit thereof.

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