Musings on the End Time Church Module

.... I try to write out the articles on this blog in advance and post them periodically, arrenged by subject. But in concluding this module about the end time church (and before beginning another,) I’d like to offer some musings of my own, to re-cap some issues that came up in the course of the module and to talk about some other things that are important to me.

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The Parable of the Ten Virgins

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.... In the parable of the ten virgins, what do the virgins represent? (Matthew 25:1-13) The best suggestion is that they represent individual Christians, and in that manner our modern denominations are represented by them as well.

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.... But Berry raises another interesting question. Remember that all ten of the virgins slumbered and slept (vs 5). But is it possible that another, smaller remnant did not sleep? They would be represented by the voice at midnight, who remained alert and appeared to be a watchman of sorts: (Matthew 25:6).

.... "The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come."

(Isaiah 21:11-12 KJV)

.... "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand . . ."

(Romans 13:11-12)

About Parables (in General)

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....The question has been also raised of how deeply we can go into a parable for informa- tion that still bears interpreta- tion. Some Christians believe they can only be viewed in the broadest terms, perhaps at the overall conceptual level, like a moral. While I agree there are lessons to be learned at that level, I also believe we can go much deeper. Jesus went into greater detail in interpreting them, for example, which ought to prove the basic point that further interpretation is possible as we go deeper (Matthew 13:18-23; 36-43). The question, then, is how deeply may we go?

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.... Jesus said we must give an account for every idle word that we speak, so there is something in His character that attaches significance to even this level of detail in the message we communicate (Matthew 12:36). Therefore it is consistent with that part of His character to offer us the same (see Matthew 5:18). This is a glimpse into the character of Jesus Himself, so I consider it definitive. Therefore, I believe there is significance to even the most subtle nuance of His parables.

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.... The Bible foretold that Jesus would teach us through these conceptual stories: "I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us." (Psalm 78:2-3). Based on the last clause of this passage, the parables of Jesus actually contain no new information. They only took the elusive meanings of the Old Testament, which foretold the kingdom of God, and put them into a new form that was much easier to contemplate. In that sense, His parables were both new and old at the same time, and ancient secrets were illuminated through them:

.... "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

(Matt 13:52; see also v 35)

.... Parables are designed for comparisons between a type and an anti-type, but they can also be compared with the original, OT passages they were designed to illuminate. To preserve the correlation between prophecy and fulfillment requires a much stricter line of interpretation, which helps us get them right (see 1 Cororinthians 2:13).

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.... The continutity between a parable's apparent and ultimate meaning is found at the conceptual level. Concepts are the middle step between head knowledge and a true, spiritual understanding, and Jesus wants us to actually muse and contemplate on these truths in order to cultivate this approach and obtain its ultimate spiritual benefit. But He also knew we would have problems with this: that our hearts were dull and that our ears were hard of hearing. So whenever a parallel, spiritual understanding could be obtained, He challenged the dullness of our ears by saying:

"He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

Greek Expert Needed

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.... Everything Jesus said or did was foretold in the Messianic prophecy (Amos 3:7). Since 1980, I have been working on a book that compares the prophecy and the fulfillment at a minute level of detail. The format I’ve chosen is like a reference edition Bible. The gospel is offered in simple story form, just as one would read the gospels in the New Testa- ment; and if the reader has a question at any point, a cross-reference to the OT perspective is provided (he can then look it up). This allows the Bible to speak for itself in exploring the life of Jesus, but it also created a problem:

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.... In order to promote continuity and avoid redundancy, I needed one account of the life of Jesus as a basis for these comparisons. This account would have to contain every detail, so that even the most subtle nuance would not be missed (He who has ears to hear, let him hear). Therefore I have harmonized the four gospel accounts into one. The four accounts flowed together so perfectly that I believe God intended this to be done one day (and everyone else who has attempted a gospel harmony has reached the same conclusion).

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.... The gospel harmony looks great in English, and it even works out in the original Greek, as far as I can tell, for as deeply as I am able to go. But I think a true Greek expert is needed to check this out in the original language and make sure. In fact, in the end, this part of the project may require an interlinear version of the harmony in the original Greek. Is anyone interested and able to help? I would prefer someone in the Tulsa area if possible, but beggars can’t be choosers.

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.... By the way, the purpose of this book is two-fold. Originally it was designed as a tool for Jewish evangelism and it has always kept that purpose in view. But it proved to be a wonderful resource for the church as well because it illuminated the mind of Christ in greater depth. Through the OT prophecy, God expressed intentions; and when Jesus came, He acted on those intentions. A natural correlation exists between prophecy and fulfillment, and it helps us understand His thoughts in a dynamic way. To explain this by another parable: when we look at something with one eye, we'll see the picture clearly enough. But two eyes will give us depth perception.

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.... To settle the question of the book's usefulness, and also to offer a challenge, please remember that the church was in existence for about thirty years before any of the New Testament was written. Early Christians had the eye witness testimony of the apostles, and their first ‘New Testament’ was the Messianic prophecy (Eph 2:20). The dual testimony of apostles and prophets was something the first century church understood very well, having comparred it carefully at each word, as they looked at God's intention and the fulfillment in Jesus; yet almost all later generations have known little or nothing about it. So hopefully one day this book will help revive that original perspective and become an important resource for seeking the Knowledge of Christ more fully.

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