By Simon Ifeanyi Ezeh

Since Jesus Christ spoke strictly in parables in which he always began by saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like …”, before he goes ahead to create a story that reveals the true nature and character of God and interactions in God’s kingdom, it means that everything we should know about the kingdom of heaven is expressed in those parables.

He created those graphic pictures called parables in order to break down the gospel message (TRUTHS) to unmistakable details, enhancing understanding for the willing and obedient while ensuring that the unwilling and disobedient never get it. So, understanding the parables of Christ is key to the knowledge of God and his kingdom dynamics.

God spoke from heaven severally, to endorse him (Christ) as his son and Saviour of man and to command us to listen to him only, and not to anyone else, if the matter is about God and his kingdom. It’s noteworthy that God never gave these sorts of testimonies below on behalf of anyone else, apart from Christ.

Luk_3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Mat_17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Joh 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
Joh 12:28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
Joh 12:29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spoke to him.

Prior to the coming of Christ, many prophets had been sent with messages from God, intended to teach man the ways of God but these prophets (messengers) were unable to deliver the accurate information as it was sent or shown them from heaven. They let their humanity interfere with the messages from heaven so that truths became half-truths or complete lies especially because they didn’t even understand the information they conveyed. The prophets of Old operated like telephone wires, carrying messages they didn’t understand. Their lack of understanding, objectivity and faithfulness made the coming of Christ inevitable.

Jer. 8:8 declares:
8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise because we have the word of the LORD,”
when your teachers have twisted it by writing lies? NLT.

The instances of the partial blindness and unfaithfulness of the OT prophets regarding the gospel of God’s kingdom are just too many to mention here since that’s not the focus of this article but we’d draw readers’ attention to a few of them before we go on to inspect the parables of Jesus Christ and expose the truths that pastors and religious establishment never talk about. Whereas Christ represents light, the other prophets and everyone else represent darkness. Since we don’t go from light to darkness, we are not supposed to leave Christ and resort to the old testament prophets in our search for truth/God. Anyone who does that is misguided and wrong. Christ, not anyone else, is the Way, the Truth and the Life. There’s no other way or access to God apart from Christ. No religion on earth is right regarding what it takes to make heaven or the bases for God’s judgement because religion would ensure you never get to know the truth. Religion is as evil as the political or corporate societies whose only objective is control and exploitation of the masses. Politicians and religious leaders are the same, although their means of achieving control and exploitation are different.

They told us (in their partial blindness) in Genesis 2:2 that God rested after the work of creation but Jesus Christ, the faithful witness (Rev 3:14) tells us in John 5:14 that God is always working and never rests. John the Baptist saw a vision of Christ as a Lamb but Christ describes himself appropriately as the Shepherd of the lambs of God, not a lamb himself. In Ex 20, the law was given and we’re told that Moses got angry on account of idolatrous Israel and smashed the stone plate on which the law was written, so he had to go back to the mountain, to receive another one with exactly the same contents. But, we find that, in chapter 34, where this account is recorded, the re-written law is anything but the original. How do we explain what happened? Could it be that the pastors had to create that situation in other to insert things within the law to protect their interests, given that most of the second version has to do with sacrifices to which they are the prime beneficiaries? In all probabilities, that was what happened.

We have several accounts in the Bible that manna was bread from heaven as in Ex 16:4, 15, 35; Jos 5:12; Ps78: 24-31, etc. Some say the people of Israel ate it without any incident whereas others say it killed them when it was eaten. What kind of bread did they eat: bread of life or of death? The true bread, or the bread of deceit? Which is the truth? The truth is revealed by our Lord in Jn 6: 49-65, where he says that what they ate was not from heaven even though the prophets thought it was. Christ says it was false bread, which killed those that ate it and that he is the true bread from heaven, i.e. his words, which people must eat or practice to live. John was asked if he was Isaiah and he said no but Christ reveals that he was actually the “Isaiah” who’s supposed to come ahead of Christ as the forerunner. He was described as Isaiah because he came with the same spirit of the prophet, Isaiah.

Moses was commanded not to allow divorce for God’s children but he allowed it because he didn’t even understand the reason behind the law in addition to the pressure he suffered in the hands of stubborn Jews. The true gospel of God’s kingdom is that the soul that sins dies, with the caveat that the repentant sinner gets forgiven and regains his former status as a son of God: God doesn’t just forgive, he forgets the sins of the forgiven sinner but the unfaithful prophet (Moses), extended the punishment of a sinner to the generations of his children, against the will of God. These are found in the scripture passages below.

The Soul Who Sins Shall Die (perfect)
Eze 18:1 The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,
Eze 18:2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?
Eze 18:3 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.
Eze 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Eze 18:5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,
Eze 18:6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman,
Eze 18:7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;
Eze 18:8 He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,
Eze 18:9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 18:10 If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things,
Eze 18:11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour’s wife,
Eze 18:12 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,
Eze 18:13 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.
Eze 18:14 Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,
Eze 18:15 That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour’s wife,
Eze 18:16 Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,
Eze 18:17 That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.
Eze 18:18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.
Eze 18:19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.
Eze 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
Eze 18:21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Eze 18:22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
Eze 18:23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
Eze 18:24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
Eze 18:25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?
Eze 18:26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.
Eze 18:27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
Eze 18:28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Eze 18:29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?
Eze 18:30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
Eze 18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Eze 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

Only repentance is enough! God never required sacrifices from anyone.

Isa 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
Isa 1:12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
Isa 1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Isa 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
Isa 1:15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
Isa 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
Isa 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Isa 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
Isa 1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

God forgives and forgets and so should we!! (perfect)

Isa 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Isa 43:26 Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.

Moses insists that God will punish sinners’ children to their fourth generations!! (very wrong, not according to Christ)

Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. (This is contrary to the revelation of Christ)

The incongruousness, errancy or unfaithfulness of the prophets and their messages is solved by the emergence of Christ as the finality of anything regarding God or his kingdom. In fact, Christ himself says he alone knows God and that whosoever would know God could only do so through him.

Mat 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
So, any Christian doctrine that is not stated or implied in the parables used by Christ to reveal the nature of the kingdom of God is false and should be disregarded. This is because Christ is the final authority regarding God and his kingdom. It’s also logical that whatever we find in the Bible could only be correct to the extent that it agrees with Christ. Many Christians would be offended by the following parables and their meanings precisely because they have been listening to strangers and hirelings. The confusion and/or offence would arise mainly because what they had been told to be the truth would be revealed, shortly, to be lies and the offence would morph into a rude shock because the lies are actually in the Bible – a book we grew up to know as the word of God.

You cannot find life in a book. John 5:39-40
39 “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! 40 Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life”
Once we hear it from Christ (by reading his words in red or italics), any further quoting of scriptures for purposes of argument is foolishness. That’s the meaning of John 5:39-40. Of course, we can also hear Christ by other means like dreams, visions, audible voices, through other people, angelic visitation, etc. but whatever we hear will always be in line with what he had already revealed in his earthly ministry.

The parables and their explanations

1. Old wine and new wine
   Luke 5:33-39 –
   “33 One day some people said to Jesus, “John the Baptist’s disciples fast and pray regularly, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are your disciples always eating and drinking?” 34 Jesus responded, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. 35 But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” 36 Then Jesus gave them this illustration: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old garment. 37“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. 38 New wines must be stored in new wineskins. 39 But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.”

Fasting, as praying without food, is often interchanged with mourning by Christ. It’s supposed to be carried out by followers of Christ, not just when they’re asking for something but always to show their disapproval of this world where all manner of evil is resident. His disciples weren’t fasting because he was still there with them and most of the things they did were by Christ himself but once he left for heaven, they would have to fast and pray hard to get things done. Regarding the prophets and the pharisees, Christ reacted by classifying their teachings as old wine and the people who are used to their teachings as old wineskins and referred to his own teachings as new wine and to those who accept his teachings as new wineskins.

He also states in this parable that new wines should not be put in old wineskins else the old wineskins would rupture and be destroyed. He also says in this parable that the new wine of his teachings is better than the old wine of the teachings of John and the other prophets, although the people who have been used to the old wine usually find it difficult to accept this judgment. For instance, Jesus tells us to worship God in spirit and in truth wherever we are but the old wineskins of people who won’t give up the old wine insist that God must be localized in houses and places hence their craze for mighty cathedrals, church headquarters, camp grounds, prayer cities, ori oke etc. Sometimes people believe the new as well as the old and end up ruptured or messed up as predicted by Jesus. E.g. On one hand pastors collect tithes (never mind that tithes were never ‘paid’ as money but given as food) from the people as if they are Levites, while on the other hand, they own everything they can buy with monies stolen from the people through all sorts of witchcraft manipulation even though the Levites of old never collected tithes as money but as prepared food, neither did they own anything except the Lord their God (Deut. 14:22-27).
So, are you an old wineskin or a new wineskin? Which wine are you drinking: new wine or old wine? We see now that finding it in the Bible isn’t enough, Christ has to endorse it for it to be correct. It means that the Bible is really not the word of God, the word of God is Christ Jesus.

2. What is new and what is old?
   Matthew 13:51 – 52
   51 Do you understand all these things?” “Yes,” they said, “we do.” 52 Then he added, “Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old.”

When we, like the disciples of old, encounter Christ and begin to understand his teachings, we must also notice that some teachings we had known to be true before had been invalidated by Christ, especially if we’re honest. Unfortunately, what usually happens is that Christians fight hard to unify the old wine with the new wine in a dishonest attempt to present the Bible as the word of God. Such dishonest Christians would insist the entire Bible is the word of God, but they never obey scriptures that forbid women from public life or the one that mandates them to kill their dissident sons etc. Whereas they obey the ones which have material benefits for them like the scriptures on tithing and the ones which takes away their responsibility to repent and live holy lives like scriptures on sacrifice for sins, they ignore (disobey) the scriptures which demand we deal with sins ourselves, and the ones which detail the requirements for salvation. Below are some of the scriptures that Christians never obey in spite of their dishonest insistence that the Bible is inerrant, that it’s the word of God.

1Co 14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
1Co 14:35 And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

Lev_20:9 For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
Lev_20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
Lev_20:11 And the man that lieth with his father’s wife hath uncovered his father’s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
Lev_20:12 And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them.
Lev_20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

3. Tares and Wheat; the Dragnet
   Matthew 13:24 – 30; Matthew 13:47 – 48
   24Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. 26When the crop began to grow and produce grain; the weeds also grew. 27“The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’ 28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked. 29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’” Matthew 13:47 – 48 47 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. 48 When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away.”

This parable reveals that the kingdom of God, in whichever way it’s presented on earth, is always a mixture of good and evil, truth and falsehood, types and antitypes and God has chosen to allow them thrive together until the final judgment or separation. Examples of this form of God’s kingdom which are precursors to the actual kingdom are the Bible, the Church, and the individual Christian. First, whereas the Bible contains the scriptures which are the words of Jesus Christ or the words of God or every other part of the Bible that agrees with the words of Jesus Christ, it also contains other teachings that are in clear conflict with the theology of Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us what to do in order to become God’s children but Paul says that we cannot become God’s children by doing any works. Instead, he teaches the concept of grace whereby God, capriciously, chooses whom to bless or save and whom not to bless or save. Whereas salvation is by works according to Jesus Christ, it is by grace according to Paul the “Apostle”. Of course, Jesus has the words of eternal life. Paul simply planted tares among the wheat of Jesus’ words. Second, the church is made up of the wheat of true children of God and the tares of hypocrites.
Third, the individual Christian does what he believes is the work of God but every work shall be sorted out as either wheat or tare and the doer shall be judged accordingly.

Fourth, just as everything in the farm is not a tare (there’s wheat also) and everything in the dragnet isn’t a bad fish (there’s good fish also), the theory of “all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory” is a lie. Whereas we have many sinners on earth, we also have many righteous people, though smaller in numbers than the sinners. A child of God could fall into sin if he looks away from Christ but he won’t wait an hour to repent and be restored but a sinner doesn’t repent from sins, he lives in sins. A sinner practices sins as part and parcel of his life, he’s never sorry enough to quit. Living in sin is extremely dangerous because one could die before he gets the opportunity for repentance. A child of God hates sin whereas a sinner might not be committing a certain sin but he doesn’t hate it, instead, he secretly cherishes it in his heart. When we regret our inability to commit certain sins on account of our faith in God, it means we’re still in love with such sins. Those who do that haven’t repented yet because they’d readily go into such sins, once the environment is provided. Thinking sin is the same as committing sin.

4. Parable of the Tower
   Luke 14:28-30
   28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

The fact that the kingdom of God is the most expensive thing ever could not be overemphasized. It’s so expensive that money (the most important treasure on earth) cannot purchase it. It cost Jesus Christ everything, including his life in order to come and expose the dynamics of the kingdom of God to humanity. He laid down his life for that sake. And the same fact is clearly stated again in this parable as in the previous ones: that there is a cost to pay in order to be saved! This directly contradicts the message of Paul the ‘Apostle” who insists that salvation as offered by Jesus Christ is free of costs. Let’s hear Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9 – “8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” But, of course, we must listen to Jesus Christ and reject Paul if in fact Jesus is our savior. That’s the reason the kingdom of God as it’s represented in this world is made up wheat and tares: a mixture of truths and lies. The Bible represents God’s kingdom on earth and it’s a perfect embodiment of the parable of wheat and tares. In this parable, we are counseled by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to sit down and count the costs of eternal life with God.

He does not mention grace like Paul, nor does he even imply it. This is very vital since we stand the risk of not just being mocked if we fail halfway, but of perishing or missing God for eternity. Now, let us count the costs of eternal life with God, as we know it from Jesus Christ. i. Give up the love of life and the fear of death. I know that readers would naturally expect me to go further with the listing of the costs not knowing that the cost of God’s kingdom is just one: your (my) life! So, if we want the kingdom of God, we must lay down our lives here. That is to hate this world; everything in it including our very lives. How could a man receive something in his hand if he already has something else in that same hand? He would have to drop that which he had already in order to create space to receive another thing in that same hand.

Since Jesus Christ came to offer us life, even though we had another life (the false life) before his coming, the only way we can receive the life he came to offer us is by relinquishing the false life which we had before his coming. This is in consonance with the first great commandment (Mark 12:28-34). We must love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. Anyone that fulfills this first great commandment would have laid down his life in this world and thus paid the price for salvation. When a man loves the Lord his God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength, he would not have any shred of love remaining for cars, houses, lands, university degrees, fame, honor of men, family, money, music, football, fashion, beauty, food, sex, America, democracy, patriotism, environment, etc. and his life. So, he has lost every regard for all the things of this life and that makes it impossible for him to fight for anything in this life. Now that we know the cost of eternal life, do we still want it? See Luke 14:25-27

5. The parable of a warring king!
   Luke 14:31-33
   31“Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? 32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.”
   There is nobody who listens to Jesus Christ that would not immediately believe he is the Messiah and the Savior of the world but obeying Him is another thing altogether. The bigger problem is that Christians don’t even listen to him. We listen to everybody else but Jesus Christ. Understanding of his parables is the key to the kingdom of God. In this parable, we have two kings – the weak or inferior one that intends to go and fight a superior and more powerful king; Satan (the fake king) and the king of kings, Jesus Christ (the son of God). While Jesus Christ was still far away i.e. at the very early stage of his ministry, the devil met him in the wilderness and made Him some offers. The devil’s terms of negotiation were so seductive and capable of enticing the Lord Jesus Christ but He rebuked and rejected the devil and his offers.

Satan negotiated conditions of peace with our Lord Jesus Christ since he couldn’t fight him but it was impossible to achieve since oil and water cannot mix. Light and darkness can never agree. This is a clear proof that all popular pastors (preachers) are ungodly because they are in perfect peace with the world and her political leadership. So, Jesus Christ rejected all that the devil offered him (everything in this world) and instructed all his followers to do same – (Luke 14:33. In so doing, Jesus Christ retained his “saltiness” – Luke 14:34-35 34 “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? 35 Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!”)– and initiated the process of doing the will of God. What would have been the use of a messiah that joins forces with the devil, desiring the very things from which he came to save man? This parable reveals the most abominable nature of prosperity gospel. Anybody, Pastor or preacher that promises prosperity as a reward of faith in God is satanic. That person has no trace of knowledge of the gospel of the kingdom of God. See Luke 6:40

6. Bad Trees
   Matthew 3:10
   10Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.

Once again, we state here that understanding the parables of the kingdom is seeing directly into the heart of God. It is clear we are the trees that are referred to in this parable. This parable means that everyone who does not do the will of God as revealed by Jesus Christ shall be judged or “cut down and thrown into the fire”. Note that it is the tree that fails to bear good fruits that is cut down and thrown into the fire, not another tree (see Ez. 18:1-4). This truth renders the Christian belief that Jesus Christ died for our sins bankrupt. It is left for us to repent, bear good fruits and inherit God’s kingdom or continue to live in sin and not inherit God’s kingdom. Everyone will live or die on his own account and not on another person’s account. This parable also emphasizes the fact of the existence of righteous people among sinners since every tree, in this parable, isn’t bad. Paul’s “no one is righteous” doctrine is a lie, don’t buy it.

7. Threshing Floor
   Matthew 3:12
   12 He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”
   The threshing floor as in this parable refers to humanity in the world including the church. We must be careful to know that the church of Jesus Christ as predicted in Matt. 16:18 is different from all the churches that we know on earth including the ones we go to. Sometimes the church, as we know them in this world, is worse than the world from where they were supposedly separated. So, the world and the church are a mixture of the wheat of good men and the chaff of sinners constituting a threshing floor of human beings. Jesus Christ will separate the wheat of people who repented and lived in line with the will of God for salvation but the chaff of non-repentant sinners he will separate for damnation. Again, we see that no wheat will be destroyed because of chaff and vice versa. Every wheat will be preserved whereas chaffs are always meant for the fire. From this parable of the kingdom, we learn that Jesus did not die for anybody’s sin(s). He died for stating the truths of God. He paid the price in order to show us the way to the Father. That is how he saves us. Again, the doctrine of “all have sinned” is punctured by this parable since everything on the threshing floor isn’t chaff (sinners), we still have the wheat of good or righteous people. See John 17
8. Deal with sin yourselves!!

Mar 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mar 9:44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Mar 9:45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mar 9:46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Mar 9:47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
Mar 9:48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Remember, we’ve been told by Christ that the root of sin is the evil thoughts of men (humanity) in Mark 7:4-23.

Mar 7:15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
Mar 7:16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
Mar 7:17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.
Mar 7:18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
Mar 7:19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
Mar 7:20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
Mar 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Mar 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Mar 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

So, cutting off one’s hands or legs doesn’t mean literal cutting of one’s body parts since the mind which is the source of reasoning or thinking, remains even after the hands or legs etc. had been cut off. Do you see the emptiness and stupidity of religion? The religious establishment foolishly cut off the offenders’ hands (of course, it only applies to the poor) in a vain attempt to stop them from further committing the offence but they don’t know that all you need to commit any sin is just your mind and the mind could not be cut off. You couldn’t cut off one’s mind but the owner of the mind is the only person who could change it from evil to good. He does that by asking God to help him do it and God always answers if the request is according to his will for mankind.

So, this teaching of Christ is very clear and the truth it reveals is that we deal with sins ourselves: Christ never promised to do so on our behalf. What he did on our behalf is to bind the strong man (the devil) and dethrone him so that we’re able and free to do any good work we elect to do. This knowledge would change your life, if you apply it. Everything (good things) is possible for anyone who knows and understands this fact.
In 1Tim 6:10, Paul ignorantly states that the love of money is the root of all evil but we’ve just seen that the root of all evils is a man’s mind or thoughts, according to Christ. Instead, Christ refers to money as mammon of unrighteousness (a demon, called mammon). So, money is definitely evil but it’s not the root of evil, especially because man had been evil much earlier than the invention of money as a means of exchange.

9. The Parable of the Sower
   Mat 13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
   Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
   Mat 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
   Mat 13:21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
   Mat 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
   Mat 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
   The above passage was initially intended to highlight the fact that whereas majority of the preacher’s work is wasted, there’s still (as always with God) a remnant of those good soils who would receive the good news and yield the expected fruits even up to 100% but it’s also an ideal illustration of perfection in God and the possibility of attaining it. This completely nullifies the empty doctrine of Paul which is that no one is righteous or perfect or able to fulfil the “righteous requirements of the law” as he loves to put it. These people who receive the gospel and bear fruits according to their strengths with some yielding up to 100% are all perfect people according to the economy of Christ. Some people might argue that those who yield below 100% are not perfect but that’s not true because the percent yield is all about strength or willingness to put the word of God to work, it doesn’t describe holiness or sinfulness. One could be a child of God and still be subject to Satan if he is ignorant as in Hosea 4:6, he doesn’t have to live in sin as ignorance is enough to ruin anyone. It is Christ himself who says here that these 100 percenters do very much exist, not me or anyone else.
   Whether we want to be one of the 100 percenters or one of the less-yield-people or one of the no-yield-at-all-people is up to us. We decide what soil we become as well as how much we yield from the seed of the good news. Please, note carefully here that there’s no mention of grace in this construct, neither is grace even implied at all. Of course, it’s a given that God would always help those who are inclined to doing his will as in Matt 5:6 below.
   Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
   Matt 5:6, as quoted above, is obviously saying that if one desires righteousness or perfection, he would be enabled by God to achieve it. It’s that simple.
   If it weren’t that human beings are hard of hearing and stiff necked, there’s no way that this singular teaching and illustration by Christ himself won’t have laid to rest the argument about perfection, salvation by works or salvation by grace. The Lord Jesus Christ himself, the Messiaah and Saviour of man, delivers a message on a certain subject and what we find is that, instead of running with the message, people who claim to be his followers would rather seek out contradicting teachings which insulates them from whatever is required of them by Christ. This scenario is created or enabled by the discord in the Bible’s internal dialogue but those who make Christ the standard for accepting or rejecting any teaching as godly or not won’t be affected by Bible’s self-contradictions. In the parable of the sower, quoted above, obedience to God (perfection) is possible. In fact, some people are completely (100%) obedient to God according to the revelation of Christ in that parable.
10. The Mustard Seed
    Matthew 13:31-32
    31Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. 32It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”

This is one of the most misunderstand parables of the kingdom of God. On the surface, it appears to imply the expansion or rapid growth of churches but it is the exact opposite. First, mustard plants never become trees (the reader may check it up). Second, in the parable of the sower, Jesus used birds of the air to represent demons. So, it is an abnormality for mustard which is naturally a small garden plant to become a tree. Due to the nature of the gospel as preached by Jesus Christ, only very few people will receive it but what we find today are mega churches made up of millions of members such that it has become very fashionable and popular to become a Christian. In order for the mustard plant to become a tree, the gospel must be changed and has been changed! Therefore, every mega church is an abnormality and is also full of demons. If you think of the parable of the wheat and tares, you will see the congruency of the messages rendered by the two parables. The next one emphasizes the same truth. See Matt. 24:4, 5, 11.

11. Parable of the Yeast
    Matthew 13:33
    33Jesus also used this illustration: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

This parable also emphasizes abnormal growth just as in the case of the mustard which grew from regular small plant to a tree, becoming a refuge and sphere of operation for demons. Jesus used the leaven to represent sin, false doctrine or hypocrisy as in Matthew 16:6-12, Mark 8:15-21. So, the churches have been preaching false doctrines that appeal to people who want to gain the world as well as the kingdom of God and the result is over-populated churches all over the place. The church’s definition of righteousness is different from that of Jesus Christ because pastors do not listen to Christ; instead they derive their teachings from false doctrines that are masquerading as scriptures in the Bible. Until we understand that the reason Jesus went up the mountain with three apostles to be transfigured is that God had to draw our attention to the supremacy of Christ over the prophets, we will never really get the Truth. God did not overrule them but he says that if we obey Jesus Christ, we would have obeyed and exceeded the law and the prophets. E.g. “Don’t lust” (Jesus) fulfils and exceeds “Don’t commit adultery” (Moses), etc. That is why Moses and Elijah faded away on the mountain in the presence of three witnesses as required by law to establish a matter. So, every Christian doctrine that conflicts with Jesus Christ is false or leaven. See Mark 9:2-13.

12. The Sign of Jonah and the Unclean Spirit
    Matthew 12:38-45
    38 One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.” 39 But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. 41 “The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent. 42 The queen of Sheba* will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen. 43 “When an evil* spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. 45 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation.”

It is amazing how different Jesus’ theology is from Paul’s. The evidence is all over the New Testament but we will never see them until our eyes and ears are opened and blessed by God – Matthew 13:16. The fact that Paul met with Jesus Christ on his way to Damascus is not in doubt but what happened after the encounter is terribly suspect. God is unchangeable and so are His principles. He gives more to those that have and removes from those who don’t have, the very little they should have built upon in order to have. God encourages those who make use of the general provision, so they start to have exclusive rewards, but people who fail to utilize that which everybody has, will lose even that which is general or common, let alone receiving anything exclusive from God. That was the case of the Jews. Luke 19:26 – The children of Israel refused to come to God by the means of the law and the prophets – Matt. 23:30-32. That was bad but their rejection of Jesus Christ is far more terrible and so is their condition because God took the kingdom away from them and gave it to the nation (the little flock, made up of true believers from all over the world) that produces the fruits required (Luke 12:32). Jesus does not in any way teach or imply that the Jews have an advantage over others, instead he stresses the opposite – Lk. 19:41-44, Lk. 13:31-35. But Paul, in clear ignorance, writes that all Israel shall be saved Rom. 11:26 and he supported his argument with Is. 59:20-21 which is not saying the same thing. Instead, Is. 59:20, 21 says that an Israeli who repents shall be saved and not that every Israeli must be saved whether or not he repents. We must beware of the leaven of Paul for they are very many in the New Testament. See Matt. 21:42-43.

13. The Unmerciful Servant
    Matthew 18:23-35
    23“Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.* 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. 26“But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. 28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars.* He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. 29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. 31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. 35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters* from your heart.”

The parable of the unmerciful servant is an illustration of that part of the disciples’ prayers which says, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” as well as the fact that we receive what we deserve from God. Readers should note that there are things that come from God which the world cannot offer and there are things in this world that anybody could get whether or not the person is a child of God. E.g. a man cannot buy the Holy Ghost or forgiveness of sin no matter how rich he may be, etc. but that same man does not need to be born again in order to own a car, house, family, university degrees or just anything money could buy. In fact, the more he is NOT a child of God, the easier it is for him to acquire any of those things. If that thing is from God, we must deserve it before we get it. This parable states clearly that a man that refuses to forgive others will not be forgiven by God. There is no place for grace here and no shedding of blood is required. All the Father requires is that we forgive others. So, our forgiveness will come to us if we forgive others and not by the blood of Jesus. We don’t require any blood to forgive people that offend us and the Father does not need any blood to forgive us when we repent and ask for forgiveness. The beatitudes express this theme more fulsomely in statements like, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy”, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God”, etc. You qualify for mercy from God if you’re merciful yourself and you only see God in your life and eternity if you’re pure in heart. Blessed is that man who is not offended by the methods that Jesus applies.

14. Parable of the Growing Seed
    Mark 4:26-29
    26 Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. 28 The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. 29 And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”

Jesus Christ, the son of God, tells us what the kingdom of God is and he does that by the use of parables. It is only wise to listen to him since he is the only one with accurate knowledge of God the father and of how things are done in his kingdom (kingdom dynamics). So, by speech and actions he shows us the character of the Almighty God. By this parable, he says that even though the universe (or multiverse) was created by God, he (God) is not responsible for the things that happen in it. The things that happen in this universe are brought about by man or the interaction of diverse forces that exist in nature. That makes a lot of sense. Otherwise, why should God cause Tsunamis and earthquakes in Asia and not in Africa? Why should God continue to kill Africans with malaria while the west is free from it? Why does God give extreme weather conditions to some people while he gives moderate or human-friendly climate to others? Why does God make some rich and others poor? Why are some weak while others are strong? Why do some people get saved while others don’t? why should some people die in their thousand from covid-19 whereas others aren’t even affected? The whys can go on ad infinitum but we bless the Lord Jesus Christ who has opened our understanding in this parable. Who is this man that sowed the seed in the ground, goes away and does not know how it grows? God! (Yes, in spite of his almighty status, he had chosen not to know some things until a certain time in order to remain righteous). All that he does according to this parable is that he sows the seed and goes away. He only shows up again when the fruits are ready for harvest. So, God is not the cause of the above-listed calamites. He does not even know whether or not a man would be saved! Good and bad things happen on earth due to human activities or the forces of nature but a man who is a child of God, can invite God into his situation and God will intervene according to what he had promised, through Jesus Christ. It’s ridiculous to hear the politicians say that it is God that gives political power. The kingdom of God is not that of men. Jesus Christ, in his tautological and categorical manner, states without a shred of doubt that his kingdom isn’t of this world, John 18:36. So, why should God bother with who becomes the leader of a place or kingdom where his will is not done? It is just like saying that God appoints the leaders of armed robbery gangs! I know that many people will start quoting Romans 13:1 where Paul writes that all leaderships on earth are set up by God. Anybody with this kind of thought should know that Paul is not the messiah nor is he the son of God. Paul did not also claim to be the messiah. So, we must listen to the son of God and not to Paul. The reader should also check to see that Paul never wrote or said anything about any of the parables of the kingdom of God as given by Jesus Christ. How can anybody know about the kingdom of God without the parables of the kingdom of God? It is simply impossible to know about God and his kingdom without a good understanding of the parables. Jesus Christ was sent specifically to speak in parables. He did not choose to do so. There is just no way around knowing God without knowing the parables.
Christ teaches us in John 8:44 that some people don’t do the will of God, instead, they do the will of their father, the devil. If John 8:44 is correct (and it must be), Paul’s Rom 13 must be false. So many things happen on earth that God isn’t responsible for. See Matthew 13:10-17.

15. Salt of the Earth
    Matthew 5:13
    “You are the salt of the Earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and be trodden under foot by men”.

Just imagine an attempt to eat food without salt! It is also vital to note that no other condiment can replace salt. The world is replete with all sorts of woes: diseases, road accidents, plane crashes, poverty, wars, famine, divorce, political crisis, violence, terrorism, aging, armed robbery and all of them point’ to one ultimate end – death. A child of God becomes salt by bringing the gospel of God’s kingdom (either in word or in deed) to the people; explaining to whomsoever would listen that the world had been condemned to death (all the woes stated above are just the symptoms) and no level of wealth, civilization, prayer, etc. can alter it. Those who had been deceived into thinking that more money, political power, education or civilization will change the world would be happy to know that they had been wasting their time trying to change what cannot be changed. That is how we become the salt of the earth. We sweeten peoples’ lives by bringing about God’s intervention to their situations and circumstances, being carriers of the Holy Ghost and messengers of salvation. See John 16:10 and John 16:20

16. Light of the world
    Matthew 5:14-16
    14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

A man could not recognize his wife if she met him in the dark night just as one could step on a rattle snake when visibility has been wiped out completely by the dark night. That is how dangerous it is in the absence of light. People who are physically blind are like that because their eyes cannot see daylight or any light at all. Since Jesus declared that he is the light of the world (John 14:6); it means that the world had been in darkness before his coming. He didn’t come with candle light, static or current electricity! The light he brought is the revelation of the character and ideals of God our Father. He is the light of the knowledge of the kingdom of God. All those who followed him and those of us who are following Him today are lights after his order – we must insist on teaching people precisely the same things Jesus Christ taught. We are the standards to follow, not the other way around. Lights usually are not concealed because no motion is feasible without light. Therefore, the parable teaches that we must continue to teach others by words and actions all that we know about God’s kingdom as we were taught by our Lord Jesus Christ. Note that this is different from bringing current electricity to a town where there was none or engaging in humanitarian activities like the Red Cross. Humanitarian activities by the Red Cross et al bring praises to men whereas preaching the gospel of God’s kingdom and doing the will of God as revealed by Jesus Christ elicits praises to God alone. See Lk 12:13-21

17. Laying up treasure
    Matthew 6: 19-21
    19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

The people of the world are a lot wiser than we who claim to be children of God. There is no safe place on Earth but as much as they know, they make sure they do not invest their money in an unsafe economy. For a man of this world, investment is safe in an economy where the banks, law courts, insurance, police etc. work but we know that banks and insurance companies go down, no matter their size. No court of law can restore life once it is lost, and no human institution is reliable. The above parable states that a man’s thoughts (heart) are with his treasures. This makes it very easy to know where or what a man’s treasure is and in this, most of us are indicted because we are always thinking of going to school and graduating, getting a job, getting a spouse, buying a car or a house, giving birth to children and raising them, becoming famous and popular, winning an election into a political office, becoming generally successful in life. In fact, the worst is that we even go to God in “prayer” and request for these things “in the name of Jesus”. Even if we are not sure of the entire situation in heaven, we know from experience that everything we have on earth is transient. Therefore, whatever is of value to us should be kept in heaven where it will safely endure for eternity. We have been fooled to believe that such things as cars, houses, families etc. are treasures but all that happens is that they condition our thoughts (hearts) so that sometimes they make us happy and some other times they make us sad. Our thoughts, our hearts or our emotions are therefore superior to the material things we allow to determine them. So, our most important treasure is our heart or thoughts or emotions and must be kept with God, all the time. See Isaiah 26:3, Prov. 4:23

18. Mote and beam
    Matthew 7:1-5
    1“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others.* The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.* 3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye* when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend,* ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrites! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

This parable is one of the numerous scriptures that are misunderstood and always misapplied by Christians. It would appear on the surface that Jesus Christ forbids “judging” or critiquing others under any circumstances whatsoever. Nothing could be farther from the truth than that. This parable is saying that a man cannot “judge” another on an offence that he too is guilty of, that would be hypocrisy. Instead, let that man be sure he is not guilty of the same offence before pointing it out in someone else’s life. That is why Jesus says we must first deal with our own situation before judging or preaching to others. This parable is very evident in the lives of pastors who preach contentment to their congregants but own private jet planes! In fact, an essential aspect of our message is to point out sin in people’s lives but we must be free from sin in order not to be condemned as hypocrites. Of course, man can only criticize others but has no power to consign another person to heaven or hell. That power resides with God alone.

19. Dogs and Swine
    Matthew 7:6
    6“Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. * Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.”
    A dog would vomit and start to feed on the vomit immediately while a pig cannot do without wallowing in the mire regardless of whatever treatment you give to it. It is not in their nature to appreciate or recognize that which is valuable. In this parable, Jesus uses dogs and pigs to compare with people who are not able to tell that which is of God and have no value for godliness. The most important thing that God can give to anybody is revelation of himself and his kingdom and would not give that to just anybody. Before he starts taking us seriously as to start revealing that which is not known to “ordinary” or “normal” human beings to us, we must first of all have despised this life completely and be very desperate in search of him. Imagine giving a pack of one million dollars to a dog or a pig or buying a new Mercedes Benz for a dog or a pig! God would never reveal himself to those who do not know him and are not desperate to know Him. In fact, he will remove whatever they knew about him from them and ensure they are completely ignorant. This is how we know that pastors are not of God. They’d transverse land and sea to get a new “convert” by both persuasion and coercion simply because he’s looking for the “convert’s” money while they ignore the real converts who need attention for godly reasons. Christ would even discourage you if he knows you’re not interested in the gospel. See Matt. 25:14-30

The rest parables would be in the next article.
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