by John D. Keyser

You have probably heard, and assumed, that Yeshua the Messiah spoke in parables to the multitudes of Israel, in order to be more understandable. Most people think that the Messiah spoke in parables to make the meaning of his lessons and stories simple and easy to understand. But what if I were to tell you that such is not the case at all? What if I told you Yeshua spoke in parables to obfuscate and to HIDE the truth, so that the masses of the people of Israel would NOT understand him?

Believe it or not, that is precisely the reason Yeshua said he spoke in parables! Notice!

Why Yeshua Spoke in Parables

Yeshua' very own disciples asked him this very question. It seems they, too, were having a difficult time understanding him and making sense out of his parables. We read in Matthew's gospel:

"And the disciples came and said to him, Why do you speak in parables to them?And he answered and said to them, Because to you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but TO THEM IT HAS NOT BEEN GIVEN" (Matthew 13:10-11 -- The New Testament, Recovery Version)

What? Read that again! Yeshua the Messiah said that to the multitudes of the people of Israel, it was not given or offered for them to understand! In other words, he used parables to hide, to cloak, the meaning! Why did he do this? He goes on to explain:

"For whoever has, it shall be given to him, and he will abound; but whoever does not have, even that which he has shall be taken away from him. For this reason I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand."

That is, they just don't get it! But why does Yeshua hide the real meaning of his parables from them? He continues:

"And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, "In hearing you shall hear and by no means understand, and seeing you shall see and by no means perceive. For the heart of this people [of Israel] has become fat, and with their ears they have heard heavily, and their eyes they have closed, LEST they perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, AND THEY TURN AROUND [be converted], and I will heal them" (Matthew 13:12-15).

Notice! Yeshua said he did not want the people of Israel as a whole to understand, at that time, LEST they should be converted at that time, and should be spiritually HEALED! In other words, he was not at that time CALLING the vast majority of YEHOVAH's people Israel to salvation! So he cloaked the meaning of his parables, so they would remain blinded to the truth. Why would he do this? As he said initially, those who are given understanding are HELD ACCOUNTABLE for it, and will be judged accordingly. Knowledge is a dangerous thing. Once we know the truth, we are responsible to OBEY it. If we don't, we heap condemnation upon our heads!

But why does YEHOVAH God want most people of Israelite descent to remain blinded, at this time? Why isn't He calling the whole world to salvation, at this time, as the Protestant evangelists all proclaim?

Haven't you heard men like Billy Graham, for example, say that this is THE ONLY DAY OF SALVATION? Haven't you heard them preach hell-fire and brimstone sermons, saying that all who refused to "accept Jesus," were in danger of the torments of Hell fire?

Yet Yeshua said he plainly WITHHELD true understanding from the people of Israel, and deliberately spoke in parables and riddles to hide and to obscure the truth!

The plain truth is, my friends, that YEHOVAH God is working out a PURPOSE here below, and very few people really understand what it is! The so-called Christian evangelists haven't got a clue!

Let's understand this mystery!

YEHOVAH God has revealed His truth only to "the election." Who are they? They are the "elect of God" (see I Peter 1:2, Colossians 3:12, Titus 1:1, I Peter 2:6) -- that is, true Israelite Christians! I must use the word "true," here, because the vast majority of professing "Christians" are themselves IGNORANT of YEHOVAH's true plan of salvation, and are no more converted than a jack-rabbit or an African chimpanzee! Those who are true Israelite Christians, however, are being given their chance for salvation today, at this time -- "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God" (I Peter 4:17).

Those of Israel being called out of this world now, to understand and obey YEHOVAH's truth, are being judged now; but the vast majority of the people of Israel YEHOVAH God has allowed to be blinded, and are disobedient, "whereunto also they were appointed" (I Peter 2:8). What will happen to them?

They are not lost forever. YEHOVAH Himself will open their eyes, and show them His truth, at a later time, as we shall see.

Let's understand. YEHOVAH has predestined NO ONE of His people Israel to be lost or to be doomed! Not at all! Predestination has to do with WHEN one is called, and WHEN a person has YEHOVAH's truth revealed to him -- not whether he is going to be saved or lost!

Those of Israel called to understand YEHOVAH's truth now have a special blessing. As Paul wrote:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having PREDESTINATED US unto the adoption [or, sonship, in the Greek] of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will...in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fullness of time he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being PREDESTINATED according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: that we should be to the praise of his glory, who FIRST TRUSTED IN CHRIST" (Ephesians 1:3-12).

Notice! We are those of Israel who have "first trusted in Christ!" This means there are others of Israel who will be called later to trust in the Messiah! They are the VAST MAJORITY!

We in YEHOVAH's Church today are compared to "firstfruits" of the spiritual harvest! We are compared to the early "spring" harvest -- but the great "fall harvest" will occur later! We are those of Israel who have the "firstfruits of the Spirit" (Romans 8:23). As the apostle James wrote: "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that WE should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures" (James. 1:18).

Predestination, then, has to do with the TIME when we of Israel are called. A few are called now, and chosen to become "first-fruits" to YEHOVAH God and the Lamb. But the vast majority of YEHOVAH's people Israel will be called later!

Treasure Hid In a Field

This parable of the Messiah, one of his shorter parables, is found in Matthew 13:44, notice:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. A man found it, hid it again, then in great joy went and sold everything he owned, and bought that field" (Jewish New Testament).

The treasure in this field is the people of the House of Israel; they are the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of YEHOVAH God. They are hidden in the field of the world and the man that has found them is the Messiah and he has great joy thereof in going and selling all that he had in order to own the field, the world itself, thereby owning the treasure within it.

In Exodus 19:5 we read,

"Now therefore, if ye [of Israel] will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar (or special) treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine."

This was said shortly after the children of Israel had been delivered from bondage in Egypt. We are well acquainted with the fact that they continued as a nation in the Promised Land and reached their zenith, as it were, under King David and his son, Solomon. That was Israel's heyday.

But then after dissension between the people became so great, there was a split into two kingdoms, the House of Israel and the House of Judah thus becoming separate kingdoms under their different kings. Eventually, YEHOVAH God would not allow them to stay in the Promised Land because of their idolatry and perverseness. As a result the northern House of Israel went into captivity to Assyria, and about 130 years later the southern House of Judah was taken into captivity by the Babylonians. A remnant of Judah came back to Jerusalem but the House of Israel never returned -- and to secular history, seemingly, disappeared without a trace.

Now in case it is thought that YEHOVAH God no longer regarded the House of Israel as His people, let us turn to Amos chapter 9. This was spoken about the people of Israel in 797 BC, that was 80-90 years before their captivity, therefore it is couched in terms of "I will do this." So Amos 9:9 says --

"For lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth."

YEHOVAH's care and protection would be upon them even though they were scattered among the nations. In Strong's Concordance the Hebrew word "sift" means "cause to move." It was future tense so far as the prophet Amos was concerned, but it was YEHOVAH's intention to do this. Obviously, this moving was not a haphazard thing, there was a purpose to it. For in II Samuel 7:10 we find the prophet Nathan speaking to David:

"Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime."

The fact that they were to be gathered in one place meant they eventually had a geographical destination to reach for and arrive at.

In the parable we are looking at it says that the man finds the treasure. It is also stated in scripture that the Messiah was sent ONLY to the "lost sheep of the House of Israel." So where did he find these lost sheep? Now Yeshua at the age of twelve says to Joseph and his mother, "I must be about my Father's business" (Luke 2:49). It will be recalled that he had remained behind at Jerusalem when his parents had left for home and they eventually found him in the Temple,

"...sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers" (Luke 2:46-47).

When we next read of Yeshua in Luke chapter 4, he is a grown man. Where was he in those intervening years?

It is considered in British-Israel circles that he was in the British Isles, the resting place of the House of Israel, brought there by his great-uncle, Joseph of Arimathea, the uncle of his mother, Mary. Perhaps one of the reasons he was brought there -- and this is only conjecture on my part -- was for a place of safety. For when he was speaking to the important men in the Temple, he would have come to the attention of the Judahite leaders. For at that time he was not ready to start his ministry being only a boy. There is also a pointer to the Messiah being absent from Palestine in Matthew 17:24-27 where the Messiah has to pay the strangers' tax in accordance with the Roman law in operation at that time.

So the Messiah -- in his sojourn in the British Isles from the age of twelve -- found himself amongst the Celtic peoples who were some of the people of the northern-tribed Israel. He had found "the treasure hid in a field." For YEHOVAH God states in Isaiah 41:1 --

"Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength..."

The Israelites arrived in the British Isles where they could renew their nationhood. They could be built up as all the tribes gradually arrived here over a period of time. Thus the House of Israel, plus the throne of David are all hidden, growing into maturity and in the appointed place.

In Ezekiel 34:16 it states,

"I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick."

And in verses 30-31 YEHOVAH God says:

In the parable we are studying we have read, "then in great joy went and sold everything he owned, and bought that field." What the Messiah "sold" was his life to redeem YEHOVAH's people. He suffered the cruel death of a malefactor. It must have been very hard for him to do this. We have an inkling of this in Luke 22:42 in the way he prayed to his Father in the Garden of Gethsemane beforehand:

"Father; if it is Your will, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but Yours, be done."

And so great was his distress that he approached the Father three times praying the same prayer. And an angel came and strengthened him for his agony was so great that he sweat great drops of blood. What was it that the Messiah found so hard to face? It was not the actual crucifixion or the disgraceful behavior of his captors beforehand, awful though these things were. For it says in Luke 9:51 --

"And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem."

In Strong's Concordance under "steadfastly" in this particular sentence it says "to turn resolutely."

The Messiah was willing to give his life for the sheep. But what he also knew was that for his sacrifice to be accepted by YEHOVAH God, all the sins of Israel would have to be laid upon him. And that meant the Father would have to turn away from His adopted Son. And this is borne out by the cry the Messiah made while hanging upon the tree facing the Temple curtain and the Holy of holies of the Jerusalem Temple where YEHOVAH's Shekinah Glory resided (Matthew 27:46), "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" We can never fully comprehend with our finite minds the agony and sheer aloneness the Messiah had to go through in body and mind to purchase the field and the treasure within it.

But the Messiah was willing to lay down his life for his sheep -- his Father's people Israel. He allowed himself to be accursed and to hang upon a tree where he was terribly STONED by the passing crowds -- so that he might deliver his people. And to us the wonderful thing is that his sacrifice was acceptable to YEHOVAH God. For on the third day he arose triumphant and, because of his resurrection by YEHOVAH God, he has enabled those of US of Israel to obtain our resurrections to everlasting life in the fullness of time.

The Seed of Great Hope

In Matthew 13:31-32 we read of the seed of great hope --

"Yeshua put before them another parable. 'The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man takes and sows in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up it is larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the birds flying about come and nest in its branches'" (Jewish New Testament).

In this parable the Messiah gives us a most powerful vision of the remarkable growth of the physical Kingdom of YEHOVAH God, from very small beginnings to what was to become a world-wide global power. The Kingdom story has in it all the ingredients of an epic story of charm, wonder and romance.

If the Messiah was to choose a symbol for his parable of growth, he could have done no better than to take the mustard seed as a symbol of the beginning of the Kingdom. Modern-day critics refuse to even consider that YEHOVAH's Kingdom is founded on a single nation; it appears to be so improbable. Not only that, but now that the name of Israel (Is-rael meaning "ruling with God") has modern political associations, it is thought absurd to even consider that YEHOVAH's physical Kingdom has a literal reality. The method is too startling, too surprising and far too romantic.

It is of vital importance at this point to acknowledge that biblical prophecy is always far more profound in its fulfillment than can be understood prior to the unfolding events of history. In respect of the prophetic vision of YEHOVAH's great plan for world order, this fact is particularly true.

The story of the development and growth of the Israel people is the most fascinating narrative of all time. What is considered highly improbable actually happened, the marvelous came true and the little Kingdom-nation of Israel became the most powerful Commonwealth in history.

The mustard tree grew over the centuries to become the great wonder of the world. The birds of the air -- from the other nations -- have discovered where safety lies and have come to the great tree of the covenant nations to be taught and blessed by it. Many who come do not realize how blessed they are to lodge in our branches. Of course, if too many come branches can break, but great old trees are rarely felled by such abuse -- they revive and grow stronger.

The parable speaks of the time when "it is grown" into full maturity. In the days of the BRITISH EMPIRE it was thought, quite understandably, that the great tree had indeed reached full maturity. Even as the Empire became the COMMONWEALTH in the 1930s, the maturity was evidenced in the minds of our predecessors. Yet there came the destructive storms of the end of the age, breaking off branches and seemingly threatening the very stability of the tree itself. It has, however, survived the destructive elements because its roots are deep.

We can be confident that greater surprises and more wonderful developments will yet appear on the world scene. The pagan New World Order of man will not be the final righteous order for world peace and harmony.

The tree will not be fully grown until the Kingdom comes under the Sovereign Kingship of YEHOVAH God and the Messiah who will enable its then wise government. It will undertake the guardian care of the peoples of Israel. The physical Kingdom is not the world -- but the controlling company of nations in the world.

The nations of the world will come to know and experience the benefit of the physical Kingdom of YEHOVAH God upon this earth.

When YEHOVAH God chose Abraham and Jacob-Israel, He was sowing the seed of the physical Kingdom in the earth. This was fully understood by the Messiah when he spoke the parable of the Kingdom saying:

"The kingdom of heaven [or the heavenly ordered kingdom] is like to a grain of mustard seed."

It was the same LITERAL kingdom, but growing into a great tree. It could be nothing else. Those who replace the literal with a spiritual only kingdom, utterly destroy the significance of the Messiah's parable.

As descendants of YEHOVAH's people Israel, we come into the story when the tree is well grown, and it will be our joyful experience -- we trust -- to see the Kingdom come fully into its own place in the life of the world. The birds of the air have discovered where safety lies, and we foresee a day when all opposition to the Kingdom will have broken down and Israel -- cleansed and filled with the holy spirit -- will truly be as "a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season" (Psalm 1:3).

When the tree has reached maturity and strength, the great promise given to Abraham will be fulfilled: "In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:3). Could there be any greater cause for hope when the distress of nations is so great and the planet itself is groaning under the weight of mankind's pollution?

Parable of the Pounds

As stated earlier, Yeshua spoke mostly in parables. Notice what the Messiah revealed. Notice the awe-inspiring TREMENDOUS potential that is ours.

Take the parable of the nobleman going to a far country, later to return. It is in Luke 19:11-27. The Messiah is the Nobleman. He was going to a far country -- to the heaven of YEHOVAH's throne, seat of the government of the entire universe. He spoke this parable because his disciples thought the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God should appear immediately. So far almost 2,000 years have gone by, and the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God has not yet appeared.

So he called, in the parable, his ten servants, and he gave them ten pounds -- a pound each, using, in our English language translation, the English unit of money. This is symbolic of one unit of SPIRITUAL VALUE with which each was started out. In other words, representative of the portion of YEHOVAH's holy spirit which was given to each on initial conversion.

But his citizens hated him. They rejected him as their RULER. They said, "We will not have this man to REIGN OVER us." The Kingdom of YEHOVAH God is a RULING GOVERNMENT. They, as of then, received no conversion -- no "pounds." (They shall yet find conversion, as many, many passages of Scripture affirm).

Now the reason for his going to heaven was to "receive for himself a KINGDOM, and to return." That is, he was going to the throne of the Government of the entire universe where YEHOVAH God Almighty, the Father, sits, to have conferred on him the RULERSHIP OF ISRAEL (Luke 1:32-33). The coronation ceremony will take place in heaven, at the throne of UNIVERSE RULE. When he returns (Revelation 10:1) he will be crowned with a CROWN (Revelation 14:14). He is coming to RULE ALL ISRAEL with the POWER of YEHOVAH's spirit.

Back to Luke 19. On his return, his servants, to whom he had given the money -- that is, the beginning unit of YEHOVAH'S SPIRIT at conversion -- are to be called to an accounting, "that he might know how much each man had GAINED" while he was gone. This means each Christian Israelite is expected to GROW spiritually -- in spiritual KNOWLEDGE and grace (see II Peter 3:18). The Christian Israelite's life is a life of spiritual GOING TO SCHOOL -- of training for a POSITION IN YEHOVAH'S KINGDOM, when and after we of Israel shall be changed from mortal to immortal -- when we shall be no longer flesh-and-blood humans, but composed of SPIRIT, with eternal life inherent.

In the parable, the first servant came to report he had multiplied what he had been given TEN TIMES. You see, the receiving of YEHOVAH's spirit is YEHOVAH GOD'S GIFT -- that is what YEHOVAH does -- it comes by GRACE, as a gift. WE CAN'T EARN IT. But all through the New Testament it is made plain we shall be REWARDED according to OUR WORKS. Not SAVED by works we have done. This man had, by his own application, multiplied his spiritual gift ten times -- his one pound was now ten pounds. He received a greater REWARD than the one who gained five pounds.

The nobleman (the Messiah) said to him, "Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in very little, have thou AUTHORITY over TEN CITIES."

He had qualified to RULE. He had been obedient to YEHOVAH God's commands -- YEHOVAH's government. We have to BE RULED before we can learn to RULE.

The second servant had increased his spiritual stock of goods five times. He had qualified, in this life, for HALF as much as the first servant. He was given HALF the REWARD.

So the parable of the pounds shows Christian Israelites are to RULE under the Messiah, when the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God is set up. Yeshua was speaking of GOVERNMENT -- world government. This parable was given to show that the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God was not to appear at that time. The Kingdom is not an ethereal, sentimental something "in our hearts." It is not the Church.

The apostle John's vision shows that the SAINTS of Israel are to RULE, under the Messiah, when he sets up the literal GOVERNMENT of Israel. See Revelation 11:15-18 -- read it through and then notice Revelation 20:4-6. Now notice Daniel 7 verses 18 and 22. It will be an earthly kingdom -- not in heaven, but "UNDER the whole heaven," verse 27.

The Messiah said: "And he [of Israel] that overcometh, and keepeth MY WORKS unto the end, to him will I give POWER over the nations: and he shall RULE THEM with a rod of iron" (Revelation 2:26-27).

He said, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne. even as I also overcame, and am set down with my father in his throne" (Revelation 3:21). When Yeshua said this, through John in the 90s A.D., he was in heaven with his Father on the throne from which the entire universe is governed.

When the Messiah sits on his own throne on this earth it will be the throne of David, in Jerusalem. Notice what is said of the Messiah: "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the LORD God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall REIGN over the HOUSE OF JACOB [ISRAEL] forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:32-33).

But he was not going to set up the government of Israel in the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God at that time. The Bible speaks of three worlds -- or ages -- in time order. First, the world that then was, overflowed with water -- prior to the flood; second, this present evil world; and third the world to come. On trial for his life before Pilate, Yeshua said he was born to be a king (John 18:37), but that his kingdom was not of this world. He will rule Israel in THE WORLD TOMORROW (verse 36).

The saints (spirit-led Christian Israelites) are to reign, under the Messiah, "ON THE EARTH" (Revelation 5:10), for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4, 6).

WHY have the nations of Israel been deceived with a false gospel (Revelation 12:9)? WHY have they been deceived into belief in a counterfeit Kingdom of YEHOVAH God?

Parable of the Tares

"Then I looked, and there before me was a WHITE CLOUD. Sitting on the cloud was someone like a Son of Man with a GOLD CROWN  on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Another angel came out of the Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud, 'Start using your sickle to reap, because the time to reap has come -- the earth's harvest is ripe!' The one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested" (Revelation 14:14-16).

"John's description of the Son of man reminds us of the significance attached to the constellation Bootes which depicts the Coming One, a MAN with a sickle in his hand. The Psalmist refers to this constellation which means 'He Cometh.' 'For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world in righteousness, and the people with his truth.' (Ps. 96:13).

"Job also refers to this constellation, naming it Arcturus, after the name of one of the bright stars which today bears that name and which also means 'He Cometh.' (Job 9:9)" (A Study in Revelation, page 216).

"Yeshua put before them another parable. 'The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, then went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads of grain, the weeds also appeared. The owner's servants came to him and said, "Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?" He answered, "An enemy has done this." The servants asked him, "Then do you want us to go and pull them up?" But he said, "No, because if you pull up the weeds, you might uproot some of the wheat at the same time. Let them both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest-time I will tell the reapers to collect the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned but to gather the wheat into my barn (Matthew 13:24-30 -- Jewish New Testament). 

"Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His talmidim [disciples] approached him and said, 'Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.' He answered, 'The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world [of Israel]. As for the good seed, these are the people who belong to the Kingdom and the weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One [Satan]. The enemy who sows them is the Adversary [Satan], the harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all the things that cause people to sin and all the people who are far from Torah; and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where people will wail and grind their teeth. Then the righteous [of Israel] will shine forth like the sun in the KINGDOM OF THEIR FATHER. Whoever has ears, let him hear!'" 

This parable begins with these words: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field..." This is Yeshua's own picture of the kingdom of heaven as it was to be down to "the end of the age" (verse 39). The event that this parable gives prominence to is Satan's activity in sowing tares or weeds ("the people who belong to the Evil One") among the wheat ("the people who belong to the Kingdom") -- and that he is allowed to do so without any hindrance. But what mainly concerns us at this juncture is the harvest. 

"...the harvest is at the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man [see Revelation 14:14] will send forth his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all the things that cause people to sin and all the people [of Israel] who are far from Torah; and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where people will wail and grind their teeth. Then the righteous [of Israel] will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father." 

The vision in Revelation 14:14-16 agrees so closely with this description of the harvest at the end of the age, that it is unnecessary to point out the resemblances! The designation of Yeshua as the "Son of Man" -- which occurs in only one other place in the Book of Revelation (1:13) -- is clearly intended to direct attention to the parable. In Yeshua's explanation of the parable he tells of the separation of the tares or weeds from the wheat JUST BEFORE THE REAPING TAKES PLACE.

"The Son of Man," writes Howard B. Rand, "as a reaper of the earth, is pictured by John as thrusting in His sickle to reap, for the harvest is ripe" (A Study in Revelation, page 216) --

"This is a graphic picture of the in-gathering of the "Firstfruits" of the earth before the vines are cast into the winepress of God's wrath. Is this scene the one to which Malachi refers when he speaks of CERTAIN ONES that are to be spared? Speaking through this prophet the Lord has said of a few, 'I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.' (Mal. 3:17.) The statement then follows, 'Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not'" (ibid., pps. 216-217). 

The Parable of the Lost Son

In Luke 15:11-32, the Messiah refers to an historical event in parable form and applies it to the Kingdom.

The life story of the Old Testament patriarch Joseph is the most fascinating of all biblical characters. Before he was conceived his barren mother -- who deeply envied her older sister with her children -- cried in desperation to her husband, "Give me children, or else I die" (Genesis 30:1). In his utter helplessness and anger, Jacob responded with deep emotion, "Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?" (Genesis 30:2).

After Jacob's ten sons and daughter were born, it was then that "God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. And she conceived, and bare a son." Rachel then gave recognition that it was YEHOVAH God who had opened her womb and taken away her reproach. By Divine inspiration she named her son, Joseph, which means "adding" or "The LORD shall add to me another son" (Genesis 30:22-24).

The naming of Joseph was prophetic of the birth of Benjamin, the youngest of the twelve sons of Jacob. Joseph and Benjamin were full blood brothers and were predestined to play a major role together throughout history -- even to this present day. They were joined together in Divine destiny even before their births -- Joseph to receive and carry out the birthright in making a physical and cultural climate in which the Royal House of David was to dwell, and Benjamin to become the tribe to furnish the light of understanding and spiritual revelation for guidance to the Royal House of David.

This spiritual light is none other than the word of YEHOVAH God and the Gospel of Yeshua the Messiah -- which has served as the FOUNDATIONAL BEDROCK OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION, especially among the English speaking peoples.

Joseph's life was ordained of YEHOVAH God and the nations that came forth from his loins would later form the FRAMEWORK of YEHOVAH's great plan in the latter days. His personal life would be one of Divine choosing yet human rejection. He was loved of YEHOVAH God, yet hated by his older brethren. Sold into Egypt as a slave, yet it was he who would save his brethren and their families from starvation and death.

It was seventeen long years in Egyptian bondage, shame and rejection before he would realize the fulfillment of his God-given dreams given to him when yet a boy in his father's house. During those dark years, it appeared as though the promises of YEHOVAH God would fail and Joseph would die in obscurity. David, the Psalmist of Israel, recalled that

"He [YEHOVAH God] sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that his word [of deliverance] came: the word of the LORD tried him" (Psalm 105:17-19).

In revealing himself to his brethren, Joseph declared,

"And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God:..." (Genesis 45:7-8).

When Joseph's brethren returned to their father Jacob in Canaan, their brief yet startling announcement was: "Joseph is yet alive." Jacob's heart fainted because of unbelief when he heard those words, yet his spirit revived within him when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent in order to bring him to Egypt. It was then that Israel, the man who had wrestled with the angel and prevailed, declared in confidence and belief, "It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die" (Genesis 45:26-28).

Yeshua the Messiah, who was the master teacher, referred to this historical event in parabolic form in Luke 15:11-32. The Messiah's reference to the younger brother in his parable was none other than the national HOUSE OF EPHRAIM that was "lost," or put away in punishment because of its iniquities. The people were not only PHYSICALLY removed from Palestine, but SPIRITUALLY cut off or divorced from YEHOVAH God their husband (Jeremiah 3:8) -- yet destined to be remarried to their God under the terms and provisions of the New Covenant.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of this remarriage of the House of Joseph or Ephraim, who was the leading tribe, when he said, "For thy Maker is thine husband." Then the prophet declared words of restoration by saying, "but with great mercies will I gather thee" (Isaiah 54:1-7).

In the parable, the Messiah, through whose blood paid the price of redemption, announced the good news of Ephraim's return and said,

"For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found."

In the Book of Jeremiah, the nation of Ephraim or Joseph is referred to as a "son."

The sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh -- upon whom the name "Israel" was bestowed -- were to become a MULTITUDE OF NATIONS in the midst of the earth in fulfillment of their birthright blessing (Genesis 48:1-22). The son, who once was considered dead, is yet alive and whose posterity is found in the great ANGLO-AMERICAN NATIONS of today.

The eleventh son of the ancient Hebrew patriarch -- who was considered an irrational illusionary by his brothers because of his despised God-given dreams -- was granted one portion above his brethren (Genesis 48:22). Through his sons Ephraim and Manasseh, the chief nations which proceeded from their loins have been the focus of the world's attention in the development of events which have shaped the western family of nations.

Take the time to look at the many parables of the Messiah. They teach the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God. They make plain the fact that the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God is the WORLD GOVERNMENT soon, now, to be set up by YEHOVAH God, coming in ALL POWER and GLORY, to bring us world peace, abundance, happiness and joy. Pray that you will be found worthy to rule as a king in the wonderful World Tomorrow!

The sole PURPOSE of the Christian Israelite life is to train future KINGS to rule with and under YEHOVAH God and the Messiah -- ON THIS EARTH.

Hope of Israel Ministries -- Proclaiming the Good News of the Soon-Coming Kingdom of YEHOVAH God!

Hope of Israel Ministries P.O. Box 853 Azusa, CA 91702, U.S.A. www.hope-of-israel.org

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