Hi to my Forum Friends,
In response to my initial post which began the discussion "Choose Whom You Will Follow - God Or Secularism/Atheism/World Religions" -- our non-believing (atheist?) Friend, Loki, tells us, "I hope he doesn't read Luke 19:27. I would guess he would have to kill us all then.. us non-christians. But according to him most times, he's apparently the only true christian left in the world. Hmm. Yeah..Bill...never mind about that. Just skip over that verse and we'll all be ok."
No, Loki, my Friend, in a truly conservative Christian theology -- we cannot skip a single word, verse, or passage of the Bible -- the entire Bible. A true Christian theology MUST be built upon the entire Bible. And, that is why it is so important that our pastors and church leaders realize that we MUST teach through the Bible, an expositional teaching of the Bible -- starting with Genesis 1:1 and teaching all the way to Revelation 22:21. This is one thing I admire about Pastor Chuck Smith and all the pastors of Calvary Chapel -- they teach the Bible expositionally.
Loki, somewhere in one of your atheist books, Dawkins, Hitchens, et al -- you have been told that Luke 19:27 is proof that God and the Bible are evil. Strange, since you claim to not believe in God. But, that is another story for another time.
Actually, in both Matthew 25:14-30 and in Luke 19:11-27 Jesus Christ is using a parable to illustrate the same teaching -- the difference between faithful strong followers, weak followers, and the unfaithful world. If you will refer back to my discussion titled "Natural Man, Carnal Man, Spiritual Man - Which Are You?" -- you will find these three described in greater detail.
In the NASB, the parable in Matthew 25 is called the Parable of the Talents; while in Luke 19 it is called the Parable of the Pounds (or Minas). But, the teaching illustrated and taught is the same -- to those given more (faith, blessings, talents, gifts, teachings, etc.), more is expected. "For whoever has (the spiritual man), to him shall more be given; and whoever does not have (the carnal man), even what he has shall be taken away from him" (Mark 4:25).
However, our secular/atheist Friends prefer to focus on the parable in Luke 19, for they found in verse 27: "But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence." Oh, boy, that verse really reaches into the heart of our atheist Friends, exciting them. But, what is the real meaning, what is Jesus really teaching in that verse?
First, let me emphasize that a parable is not a true story, as is the story found in Luke 16:19-31 of Lazarus and the rich man. A parable, which never uses a person's name, was used by Jesus to teach a lesson or a principle, using local customs, conditions, and beliefs as the means of helping people relate to the point He wanted them to understand.
In Luke 19:11-27, Jesus and His disciples are approaching Jerusalem and His disciples are expecting that He is going to establish His earthly kingdom, defeat the Romans and their puppet king in Jerusalem, and become an earthly king, freeing the Israelites from Roman bondage.
In this passage, He tells them a parable of a wealthy nobleman (Himself) who went to his people (Jews) to be their leader. But, they refused to follow Him, saying, "We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15). And this nobleman (Jesus) left great wealth (He died on the cross to give all who will believe eternal life) for His faithful followers to use. Many received His great gift of the Gospel and used this resource to gain more wealth (souls) for their Master. This would be the "spiritual" man. Others, the "carnal" man, accepted His great gift of wealth, but, did not bother sharing it. And, the "natural" man rejected Him and His great gift.
Then, the nobleman (Jesus) went away with His promise to return (John 14:1-3) -- and, then, as promised, He would reward His faithful stewards, His faithful servants. More given to the faithful "spiritual" servant who used His gifts wisely and earned Him many new souls. Less for the "carnal" servant who did little with His great gifts -- and did virtually nothing to grow the kingdom of God.
Then, there is the "natural" man, that person who rejected this nobleman, who declared, "We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15). This person is dealt with in the Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:30, "Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
This is basically the same that is taught in the Parable of the Pounds, Luke 19:27, "But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence." That will begin in the Tribulation, which is the time of the "refiner's fire" for the people of Israel (Malachi 3:2) -- and will culminate with the judgment taught in Revelation 20:11-15.
What is the teaching Jesus is explaining in these two parables? It is that the faithful believers will be rewarded, as we read in Matthew 25:29, "For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance. . ." But, those who deny their Savior, as the Jews denied their Messiah -- in their "free will" choice to deny their Savior/Messiah, they have condemned themselves to eternal suffering in hell -- where they will eternally be out of the presence and glory of God. This is the death Jesus is referring to in Luke 19:27 and in Matthew 25:30, the second death (Revelation 20:14).
Loki, thank you for raising this question. I am sure that many, even Christians, who have read Luke 19:27 have wondered about its real meaning. I pray that I have clarified this to your understanding. If you would like to discuss more Biblical issues, I will be happy to dialogue with you.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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