THE LORD’S WORK FORESHOWN IN HIS PARABLES.

His work is clearly outlined in various of his parables, which were given that the Watchers might know – might not be in darkness. The parable of the wheat and the tares shows this period of the parousia (presence) preceding the epiphania (manifestation), and represents it as the “harvest” time of this age. The Son of Man sowed the good seed, and his servants followed, doing work in the field down throughout the age; finally, the end of the age comes when the full crop of wheat is ripe, and then the harvest is reaped. The parable shows the separation of the two classes of the nominal church during the “harvest.”

For be it noted that the wheat-field is not the entire world, but merely the professedly Christian part of the world – Christendom: much of the field is not yet sown. And the parable relates only to the wheat-field, and particularly to the wheat. The tares (spurious Christians) are dealt with only incidentally. The tares choke the wheat, yet, nevertheless, the Master will obtain a sufficiently large crop, for – “All his purposes shall be accomplished.”

The separation of the tares from the wheat, and the gathering of the wheat into the garner of heavenly conditions, precedes the work of cleansing the wheat-field of its symbolic tares by symbolic “fire;” and this entire harvest work is to take place during the parousia (presence) of our Lord, before his epiphania (manifestation). He is the Chief-Reaper, and all the under-reapers will work under his direction and eye; and every kernel of true symbolic “wheat” will be gathered into the glorious symbolic “garner” by resurrection and “change.”

The sickle of truth will be the separating medium; and not until the separation is nearly complete and the “wheat” nearly all garnered into the glory of the heavenly nature, will the “fire,” the great time of trouble mentioned by the Prophet and by our Lord, burn and consume, symbolically, all the “tares:” so that thereafter none will make false professions of being Christians while really of the world, and possessed of its spirit.

The parables of the Pounds and of the Talents cover this same period of time. In both of these the Lord represents himself as a great householder and heir to a throne, who has gone into a far country to be invested with kingly powers, and to return to use those powers. Departing, he left with his servants’ various riches of grace and privilege, “to every man according to his several abilities,” saying to them, “Occupy till I come.”

The return of the nobleman of the parables, unquestionably, represents the second coming of our Lord and Master. Now note the work due first to take place upon his return as King, as shown by these parables. He does not first deal with the rebellious world, – those who would not have him to rule over them; but, first calls “his own servants,” and reckons with them – rejecting some from further service because of unfaithfulness, and accepting others to a participation in the joys of the Kingdom, which he at once establishes.

This reckoning with the servants signifies a reckoning with the Church first, after his return; and corresponds to the separating of the wheat and tares, in the other parable. It is comparatively easy for anyone to realize that this part of the Lord’s work at his second advent is the work which precedes the epiphania or manifestation to the world. It is during this period that the Watchers are to be aware of the presence (parousia) of the Lord, and of his scrutiny, or judgment of them, which will then be in progress. Only the faithful will know, however; – only they will be “accounted worthy to stand before the Son of Man” in that judgment; – all found unworthy shall “stumble.”

“The wicked [and slothful servants] shall not stand in the assembly of the righteous.” (See Psa 1:5). It is of this period of Christ’s presence, and this feature of his work, that the world is to be in total ignorance, and “know not,” until, having finished reckoning with his servants, and having glorified the faithful, the judgment of the world shall begin with “a time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation.” That trouble is symbolically pictured as a fire, and we are told by the Apostle that our Lord shall be revealed (apokalupto – uncovered, disclosed, made manifest) not by a visible manifestation of himself, but in the flaming fire (judgments), taking vengeance.

All who are Watchers, all who have taken heed to “the more-sure word of prophecy,” including the Master’s description of the events of “the days of the Son of Man,” can readily discern that the world would not go on in its usual routine – eating, drinking, planting, building, marrying, etc. – if they knew of the Lord’s presence, and the progress of the “harvest” of the Gospel age.

If they knew of the Lord’s presence, and that the reckoning with the servants had commenced, and that the next thing in order would be judgments upon themselves, they would change their usual order of affairs considerably; they would be in great trepidation; because only those who are in heart sympathy with the Lord and the righteous government which he is about to establish, when he shall lay judgment to the line, and justice to the plummet – only these can in any degree be ready to welcome him: all others have the spirit of fear, and are under the blinding influences and misrepresentations of Satan. “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the glorious light of the gospel of Christ…should shine unto them.” Because of ignorance, therefore, the world would be in great fear, if they knew the fact of the beginning of the day of the Lord, which is to be to them the “day of vengeance.”

Very evidently, therefore, this reckoning with the Church and the reward of the faithful will precede our Lord’s apokalupsis, or revealing. To use one of his own figures, we might say that his day or time of presence – “the day of the Lord” – will come “as a thief in the night;” and in this time he will gather his virgin Church, discriminatingly, and take her as his Bride to himself, – changing her from earthly nature and conditions to spiritual or heavenly conditions, to be like him, see him as he is, and share his glory. And since the saints have always been “the salt of the earth,” we may readily discern that the taking away of the salt of the earth would leave mankind proportionately in a deplorable condition, in which corruption would spread rapidly: and this is exactly what the Scriptures indicate.

We are not, however, to understand that the Lord will take the Church away to heaven, and then come back again, and make his epiphania or apokalupsis; for that would be a third advent, which is nowhere even hinted in Scripture. The “change” of the Church from earthly conditions and nature to heavenly, spirit conditions and nature, will be first in order; and then they twain, the Bridegroom, Christ, and the Church, his bride, thus made one in nature and in heavenly, or spirit power, will commence the work of putting down all rule and authority contrary to the divine rule; – bringing all things into subjection to the heavenly Kingdom, the Millennial Kingdom. Our Lord and his Church will not be absent from the earth during the period of the world’s tribulation; but, on the contrary, will continue present, but invisible, bringing upon the world the tribulation foretold in the Scriptures, which will result in the humbling of the hearts of mankind, that they may say, eventually, “Come, let us go up to the mountain [Kingdom] of the house of the Lord, that he may teach us of his ways, that we may walk in his paths.” – Isa 2:3

This fact is abundantly proved by the Lord’s statement of what shall be the reward to the overcomers, a part of which is, “He that overcomes, and keeps my words to the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken in pieces: even as I have received of my Father.” (Rev 2:26,27.) Again, the same matter is mentioned by the Prophet David, saying, “This honor have all his saints, – to execute the judgments written.”

This, however, need not be understood to mean that none of the faithful members of the body of Christ will be in the flesh during the trouble. The majority will have gone beyond the vail – by First Resurrection change to spirit conditions; but others may remain in the flesh for a time, to serve further on this side the vail. True, our Lord has said, “Watch ye; that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass” (Luke 21:36); but we may not be too certain which way he meant we should escape; and we well know that there are two ways. We might escape by avoidance of the trouble, or by being kept from feeling its poignancy, by “grace sufficient” to enable us to rejoice in tribulation. In whichever way it may be the Father’s pleasure the Lord will keep his own – out of the furnace of affliction, or in the furnace heated seven times. – Dan 3:27.

Continued with next post.