12-27-2007, 10:30 PM
Shlama all,
The passage starts with, "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants."
I think we make a mistake when we assume our Lord is saying, "This is what God is like." He is not talking about what God is like personally. To know who God is , all we need to do is look at Yeshua The Son. "He who has seen Me has seen The Father." That's all I need to know in order to know God.
The kingdom of Heaven is another matter. God's kingdom is a system of government, ruled by laws, just as an earthly kingdom is ruled by laws, though God's kingdom is based on perfect and eternal law, as fixed as the laws of nature. Indeed, they are the laws of the eternal nature of Life. This particular parable addresses the law , "Use it or lose it." It is a law of life. We cannot escape it or violate it. If we receive a gift that we do not use, we will eventually lose it.
God is merciful, but his laws are merciless. Even He must observe them, and of course, He does. If we do not give and put our gifts into circulation, we will lose those gifts eventually and they will be given to another who will improve them by exercizing them in serving God and others with the gifts He gives.
"Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants." It does not say "God is like a certain king.
..." Most of the parables are teaching about the kingdom of God. Look for that phrase, "The kingdom of heaven is like ..."
We cannot condemn God as unmerciful for setting up the laws of nature and life which are inviolable. He will not suspend the law of gravity simply because you or I fall or jump out of a 20 story window. He may or may not send an angel to catch you, but whether He does or not, He will not suspend His laws. Gravity is no respecter of persons; neither is any of God's laws a respecter of persons. If we live in ignorance of His laws, we will suffer and eventually die.
When our Lord spoke of the kingdom and government of Heaven, He was not speaking merely of the Law of Moses; He is talking of the nature of Life and creation itself, especially the spiritual kingdom, which is eternal. Our spirits and souls are subject to the laws of life and will answer to them. We are wise to learn those laws from our Lord, so that we will not be condemned or harmed by our own stupidity.
Look up all the references to the kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of God. That is what He came to teach us. We can enjoy the kingdom of Heaven every day of our lives, or we can be ignorant of it until we die.
22. But you have come to The Mountain of Zion and to The City of THE LIVING GOD, to The Jerusalem which is in Heaven, and to the assembly of myriads of Angels;
23. And to the church of the firstborn ones who are written in Heaven, and to God The Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous who are made perfect,
24. And to Yeshua, The Mediator of The New Covenant, and to the sprinkling of blood, which speaks better than that of Abel.
25. Beware therefore, lest you refuse him who speaks with you, for if those were not saved who refused him who spoke with them on Earth, how much less are we if we shall refuse him who speaks with us from Heaven?
26. Whose voice shook The Earth, but now he has promised and said, "One more time, I shall shake, not only Earth, but also Heaven." Hebrews 12
"You have come"
So what do we do now?
We must listen,read and learn the manual of Life in Heaven (The Book of Life) so we can enjoy the unspeakable gift of Heaven, which He has put within some of us, and into which we can enter by The faith of Maryah Messiah.
Blessings,
Dave Bauscher
The passage starts with, "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants."
I think we make a mistake when we assume our Lord is saying, "This is what God is like." He is not talking about what God is like personally. To know who God is , all we need to do is look at Yeshua The Son. "He who has seen Me has seen The Father." That's all I need to know in order to know God.
The kingdom of Heaven is another matter. God's kingdom is a system of government, ruled by laws, just as an earthly kingdom is ruled by laws, though God's kingdom is based on perfect and eternal law, as fixed as the laws of nature. Indeed, they are the laws of the eternal nature of Life. This particular parable addresses the law , "Use it or lose it." It is a law of life. We cannot escape it or violate it. If we receive a gift that we do not use, we will eventually lose it.
God is merciful, but his laws are merciless. Even He must observe them, and of course, He does. If we do not give and put our gifts into circulation, we will lose those gifts eventually and they will be given to another who will improve them by exercizing them in serving God and others with the gifts He gives.
"Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants." It does not say "God is like a certain king.
..." Most of the parables are teaching about the kingdom of God. Look for that phrase, "The kingdom of heaven is like ..."
We cannot condemn God as unmerciful for setting up the laws of nature and life which are inviolable. He will not suspend the law of gravity simply because you or I fall or jump out of a 20 story window. He may or may not send an angel to catch you, but whether He does or not, He will not suspend His laws. Gravity is no respecter of persons; neither is any of God's laws a respecter of persons. If we live in ignorance of His laws, we will suffer and eventually die.
When our Lord spoke of the kingdom and government of Heaven, He was not speaking merely of the Law of Moses; He is talking of the nature of Life and creation itself, especially the spiritual kingdom, which is eternal. Our spirits and souls are subject to the laws of life and will answer to them. We are wise to learn those laws from our Lord, so that we will not be condemned or harmed by our own stupidity.
Look up all the references to the kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of God. That is what He came to teach us. We can enjoy the kingdom of Heaven every day of our lives, or we can be ignorant of it until we die.
22. But you have come to The Mountain of Zion and to The City of THE LIVING GOD, to The Jerusalem which is in Heaven, and to the assembly of myriads of Angels;
23. And to the church of the firstborn ones who are written in Heaven, and to God The Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous who are made perfect,
24. And to Yeshua, The Mediator of The New Covenant, and to the sprinkling of blood, which speaks better than that of Abel.
25. Beware therefore, lest you refuse him who speaks with you, for if those were not saved who refused him who spoke with them on Earth, how much less are we if we shall refuse him who speaks with us from Heaven?
26. Whose voice shook The Earth, but now he has promised and said, "One more time, I shall shake, not only Earth, but also Heaven." Hebrews 12
"You have come"
So what do we do now?
We must listen,read and learn the manual of Life in Heaven (The Book of Life) so we can enjoy the unspeakable gift of Heaven, which He has put within some of us, and into which we can enter by The faith of Maryah Messiah.
Blessings,
Dave Bauscher