This brings us to another parable of the kingdom of heaven, the last parable in the Mount of Olives discourse. The parable speaks of a man who takes a long trip, but first puts his belongings in the hands of his servants. The spiritual application is of Christ, the Son of God, visiting the earth and leaving the gifts and the works of the kingdom in the hands of His servants the churches before returning to heaven and His seat at the right hand of God the Father.

Let’s read beginning with Matthew 25:14:

(Matthew 25:14)
"For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods."

In this passage we’ll see the multiples of ten; i.e., 5, 2, and 1. As per the parable of the ten virgins (the 5 plus 5), the time span covered was the Age of Grace—especially the end of it; and the entities were the two churches of that time. In this parable the time span covers the period of the three ages since the inception of the first church (from Abraham to the Rapture), and the entities will again be the churches. The number "5" represents the Age of Grace wherein the Christian Church would be the vessels of God’s grace. The "2" represents the two ages that Israel has had the Word of God; i.e., the Age of Promise and the Age of the Law. The "1" we’ll assign to Israel of the dispersion.

Let’s read now beginning with Matthew 25:15. (Remember as we read, a talent was very valuable being equivalent to about $5,000.00.)

(Matthew 25:15)
And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

As we continue to read, there are two Biblical concepts that we need to keep in mind. First, we are taught in the Old Testament that it is not by the power or the might of man, but by the Holy Spirit that things are done in the eternal spiritual realm. This concept was brought forward to the New Testament when Jesus taught His disciples that they could do nothing without Him (Jn. 15:1-6); and Paul enlarged upon the doctrine, declaring that the Church can do all things through Christ Jesus who empowers us by His indwelling Holy Spirit (Php. 4:13). Secondly, we need to keep in mind that the New Testament Church of the Grace Age has become the temple of the Holy Ghost (the eternal Paraclete); whereas Israel, during the Age of Promise and the Age of the Law, would have God’s Spirit fall upon them only when it was needful to accomplish God’s will. The Grace-Age Jews of the dispersion, however, will be void of the Holy Spirit. Throughout the Grace Age, they will have no oil. Now, back to our text.

(Matthew 25:16-18)
Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
And likewise he that received two, he also gained other two.
But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his Lord’s money.

To reiterate, in this parable "5" represents the Age of Grace; and when the Church under grace allows the Spirit to function ungrieved, stirring Him up even, then Christ is in man doing His work on the earth. This Spirit-filled Church will then bring forth another "5" totaling "10" which is the full measure of man’s responsibility on the earth. He can do no better, for it is Christ working in Him to do the Father’s good pleasure.

Israel, when it walked with God during its two dispensations, did what the natural man was capable of doing in the spiritual realm with God’s help. It brought forth two more talents, making a total of "4" talents—the number of God’s creation. Therefore, in our parable, the number "4" signifies what man can do in the spiritual realm with the Spirit of God acting upon him.

As we’ve mentioned, Israel—the "1"—is the Israel of the Grace Age, the Israel dispersed among the Gentiles, the Israel void of the Holy Spirit, and the Israel that can bring forth no fruit to maturity.

(Matthew 25:19)
After a long time the Lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

"After a long time"—this is a matter of perspective. For God it has been only four days since the first church was started; but for man it has been a long time. And this has been especially so for wintering Israel who has already experienced some two thousand years without "warmth" from God, two thousand years of woe brought on by themselves and by those among whom they have been dispersed.

Also, let’s note that this will be the time that the Lord "reckons" with all his servants of those ages having to do with the churches. We also read of this reckoning in Matthew 16:27-28. "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom."

To understand just where this time of "reckoning" fits onto the Clock of the Ages, we need to digress a little and look at a time line of the major resurrections, particularly the first and second resurrections just referred to here in Matthew 16:27-28. (See illustration #10.)

The Time Line of Resurrections

Illustration #10

The first item on the time line deals with the "many bodies of the saints which slept" that "arose" at the time of our Lord’s resurrection. We read of this in Matthew 27:51-53. Matthew's wording in this passage is a typical example of prophetic shrouding. We’re not told in the passage that he was referring to a "major" resurrection. In fact, the two-fold resurrection at the time of our Lord’s Second Coming is called the first resurrection. The wording does seem to suggest, however, that this event at the time of His resurrection was similar to the Old Testament theophanies (those times when Christ appeared in His Messianic form). It is not clear if all the Old Testament saints received their glorified bodies at this time or if Christ was only giving a sign similar to the appearance of Elijah and Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration—a sign that He was taking the souls in Paradise to heaven to be with Him. At any rate, this author has found no Scripture indicating that any rewards were given at this time. Apparently, the time of the awards for all saints who will have lived prior to the Kingdom Age will be at the time of the first resurrection (see illustration). After being raptured, the Church will receive its rewards for her labors of love (II Tim. 4:8; I Pet. 5:4); and at the end of the first 3 1/2 years, those who have refused the mark of the beast and have died for their faith will be resurrected to their rewards (Rev. 20:4).

Let’s look again now at Matthew 16:28. "Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming into his kingdom." This verse helps us to place the rest of the judgments/reckonings on our resurrection time line. In this verse Jesus was not referring to the time that He would be coming to set up His kingdom, but to the time that He would be coming in His kingdom—the time of the second resurrection. He was speaking of the time at the end of the Kingdom Age when He and His glorified saints will have withdrawn from the earth for a little season so that Satan can be released from his thousand-year confinement in the bottomless pit. During this time at the end of the Kingdom Age, Satan will again go forth deceiving and being deceived and raising an army for the final conflict on earth between the forces of good and evil (Rev. 20:1-9). Although the Word seems to be vague concerning the rewards for the just at the end of the Millennium, it states clearly that the unjust dead of all ages—Including those to whom Jesus is talking here in Matthew 28:16—will receive their final word of doom from God at that time. The proclamation of doom will put all that they have already suffered in hell in its proper perspective. The decree will finalize the "eternity" of their torment as they hear their Maker—who will be their judge at the time—declare their divine judgment and its boundaries.

As we’ve said, though, the parable of our Lord and His servants in Matthew 25 deals with the first resurrection when Christ will return with His rewards and reckon with His servants (especially those of the church ages). This parable speaks of that day of which Paul wrote in I Corinthians 3:9-15, wherein every man's work built upon the foundation of Christ that stood the test of fire shall receive a reward. Of his own self Paul said, "...there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing" (II Tim. 4:8). Now, let's continue reading the parable of the lord and his servants.

(Matthew 25:20)
And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliverest unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

Now notice our Lord's reply, for it will be identical to His reply to the one with two talents.

(Matthew 25:21-23)
His Lord said unto him, Well done, thy good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord.
He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliverest unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
His Lord said unto him, Well done, thy good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.

The key to understanding the commendations is found in verse 15: "...according to his several ability." Although one had five and gained five more, and one had two and gained two more, the word to each was identical. Jesus gives us the key to understanding this concept in Matthew 11:11.

(Matthew 11:11)
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

The greatness spoken of in this verse is not a measure of the flesh, but of the Spirit. Of all born of women (of the flesh), none was greater than John the Baptist who had been anointed of the Spirit while he was in his mother's womb. This was he who walked in the same Spirit as did Elijah, but with even a greater anointing as he heralded the day of the Messiah. However, as great as his position was in his age, the Spirit only acted upon John as he prepared the way for the Christ and His kingdom to come in. Those born again into the kingdom during our age, though, are considered greater positionally than John the Baptist. This is because God has brought His plan for the ages one step closer to fulfillment; i.e., today’s believers enter into the kingdom of God by virtue of having been born anew in their spirits by the Spirit of Christ. This being the case, the believers under grace have an access to the Spirit of which John could have only dreamed; for the bodies of the New Testament believers have been made into temples of the Holy Ghost. Consequently, those with the greater amount of "talents" are not to be considered as "greater" people, but as recipients of the gifts of the Spirit to a greater degree.

With all this in mind, let's look now at the unfruitful servant beginning with verse 24.

(Matthew 25:24)
Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

Let's note first that the wintering Jew, broken off of the olive branch, came like Cain of old expecting to receive something of God for his self-willed worship.

Also, let's consider how he began his argument. "Lord I knew thee..." Oh, the spirit of the Pharisees and the Saducees had them thinking that they knew God; but the God that they taught was one that reflected their own personalities. They presented Him as a hard man, not as the gracious God who would and did send His only begotten Son to die for the sins of His creation. Being void of the Spirit, they could only see God as one who reaped where He did not sow. It was no wonder that their understanding of God prompted fear rather than love as can be seen in following verse.

(Matthew 25:25)
And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

We can see where wintering Israel was coming from, for we understand that without the covering of Christ, without the robe of righteousness which He purchased for us, we, too, would stand naked in our sins before God and fearful of the consequences.

Let's look now at our Lord's response to the dispersed Jew.

(Matthew 25:26-28)
His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knowest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed.
Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

Again we need to consider the talent in this parable. Although in the natural it represents a goodly piece of money, we should remember that the parable is to teach us of heavenly things; therefore, the talent represents something of great worth in the spiritual realm. It is this author's belief that the talent given to all the servants—indeed, the possession of great worth given to all mankind—is the measure of faith given to each of us. Some exercise this faith in the Lord Jesus and profit thereby. Others, though, place their faith in other objects, or ignore it altogether. Consequently, their faith is unproductive and unprofitable. We’re told that Israel had the talent, but we’re also told that because of the misapplication of their faith, they were void of the Holy Spirit. Sadly, the spirit that blinded the forefathers of the end-time Jews and caused them to crucify the Son of God at the time of their visitation will still have Israel blinded to the truth at the end of our age. Although they will have the "talent" of faith, they will not invest it, for they will stubbornly refuse to believe that Christ is their Messiah until they see His sign in the heavens.

Let's look again at verse 28

(Matthew 25:28)
Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

This doesn't mean that the Gentile church will end up with eleven talents; rather, Christ is emphasizing that the one "talent" of faith given to Israel will be taken from them and given to the Gentile Church which will use it during the Grace Age.  Let's read on.

(Matthew 25:29a)
For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance....

Contrary to what it may appear at first glance, this is not a lot of double talk. Jesus is simply saying that those who have a living faith in Him (see James 2:17-26, cf. Acts 3:16) shall be blessed by God because of their faith in His Son.

(Matthew 25:29b)
But from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath.

Here, He is referring to the prophesied state of Israel in her dispersion, to the time when she shall be cast into outer darkness to experience weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mt. 8:12). The gift of faith will be taken from her because of her refusal to receive the atoning work of the Lamb of God Who was sent according to the promises made to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, etc. But a living faith was not the only thing that Israel had, she was also God’s authorized representative on the earth. This was also taken from her and given to the Church!

Then in verse 30, Jesus touches upon the lot of the dispossessed, wintering Jews.

(Matthew 25:30)
And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This has been the state of rejected Israel throughout the dispersion, and we're told that this life will have only begun their despair. Under grace, in Christ Jesus, God has made provision to meet all the needs of humanity; but without Christ there is nothing. Apart from Christ, there are no grounds for any hope; for there is none other name given under heaven among men whereby we must be saved. Sadly though, throughout this age Israel has steadfastly rejected this name.

However, there will be a remnant of Israel at the end of their dispersion that will be profitable to God. This will be the remnant with which God will begin the Kingdom Age and fulfill His promises to Abraham and his seed. The following verses in our text speaks of that time and gives us insight into what will happen to those outside the two churches at the end-time.

(Matthew 25:31-33)
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Because the Hebrew children were very familiar with the natures of sheep and goats, the animals were often referred to in the Scriptures when comparing and contrasting those who reverently fear God with those who resist His authority. Jesus employed this method of analogy when He expounded upon the future judgment of the nations. The spiritual goats of the Scriptures can be seen as representing those of all ages who walk after the dictates of their fallen nature. From man's perspective, they may be seen as "good" men and women, trying to do what's right in the sense that they obey the laws of the land and pay their bills. Nevertheless, their nature is "bully" and contrary to the ways of God! The common denominator for the goats is each seeks his own and not the things of the Lord—not the things for which they were created.

In our age the remedy for the dilemma of the goat is to become a sheep as was explained to Nicodemus in the third chapter of John. In John 3:1-18 Jesus told Nicodemus that before he could please God—indeed, before he could really desire to do so—he had to be born again! "That which is born of the flesh is flesh," Jesus explained, "and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (Jn. 3:6).

But be that as it may, after the many, many deaths of the great tribulation; after the Rapture of the Church which brings to an end our time of grace; after the many, many deaths during the first 3 1/2 years of Daniel's seventieth week, there will be nations that will have been refined though as by fire. These nations will have the nature of sheep. Also, there will be nations who will have the nature of goats because they have stubbornly resisted God. A separation of the goats and the sheep will be one of the first orders of business in King Jesus' new administration.

Let’s return now to our text and pick up on the new Monarch’s theocratical decrees concerning the sheep and the goats.

(Matthew 25:34-46)
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it
unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gaveme no drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Our Lord’s answer to the questions poised by the nations gives us some understanding about the ruler that He will use to measure the nations. Lord, when did we see you hungry? thirsty? in prison? and not minister to you? His answer will be, when you saw my brethren, the Jew, during his time of trouble and refused to help him. How the end-time nations treat Israel will determine their place in our Lord’s new kingdom. The end-time nations will encounter a principle that has ruled since the Hebrew nation began. Those that bless Abraham’s descendants will be blessed of God, and those that curse them will be cursed of God (Num. 24:1-9); and for the end time, this will be especially so!

The judgment of the nations is an ideal end for our Lord’s prophetic teaching on the Mount of Olives, for it typifies and foreshadows those things that will take place at the end of the Kingdom Age when the world as we know it will be brought to an end and when all who have rejected God’s gift of eternal life will hear that they are rejected of God.

What better way to punctuate our Lord’s teaching in Matthew 24 and 25 than to quote Him from the final chapter of the last book in the Bible.

(Rev. 22:10-12)
... Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.