Matthew 25:14-30

Matthew 25:14-30, “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 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. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had 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. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou 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. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, 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. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest 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. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Evangelist John R. Rice writes concerning this passage of Scripture:

“...the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 does not necessarily refer to saved people only. There is a similar parable in Matthew 21:33-46. It is directly applied to the Pharisees and the Jewish leaders. God had turned His vineyard, the nation of Israel, over to the Jewish leaders. They were held accountable for it. That does not mean that they were saved people. God does hold most people accountable for the things He puts in their hands, the opportunity He gives them, and particularly any place of influence. 

“...it is quite clear that the servant who had one talent and was cast into outer darkness does not represent a saved person at all. God will hold people to account for the way they use what He has given them and for the opportunities they have had. And that is the great principle of the parable of the talents. Two of the servants represent saved people, so here is a lesson of rewards for Christians according to their labor. I think the one man represents a lost man and here is a reminder that God will judge men according to their opportunities. 

When you read the story again you will see that there is nothing about that one man that would indicate that he was a Christian. He hated his master and slandered him. He does not represent a Christian.” —Dr. John R. Rice, “Dr. Rice, Here Is My Question...,” p. 276; 1962

I fully agree with Brother Rice concerning this Scripture passage. Whether saved or lost, the Holy Bible warns that we will all be judged according to our “works.” The difference is on what basis we will be judged. For believers at the Judgment Seat of Christ, we will be judged on the basis of being God's redeemed children saved by grace (2nd Corinthians 5:9-11; Romans 5:20). A believer can only fall “in grace,” but never “from grace.” We will be judged as believers according to our “works” (1st Corinthians 3:11-15).

For the unbeliever, they will be judged for the “works” on the basis of the law, since they died in their sins under the curse of the law without Christ (Revelation 20:11-15). Either way, we will all be judged as humans according to our works. I like to compare the two different judgments to criminal court versus civil court. In criminal court you risk being punished if found guilty; whereas in civil court your only risk is monetary loss of rewards or money.

The parable in Matthew 25:14-30 applies to both the saved and the unsaved. We will all be judged according to the talents, resources and opportunities which God has entrusted to us in life.

Matthew 20:20-24 - A Great Passage Teaching The Trinity

Matthew 20:20-14, “Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.”

How could anyone read this Scripture passage and still be a Modalist? A modalist is someone who believes that when they get to Heaven they'll only see God the Father, not the Son. They deny that God and Jesus exist in two separate physical bodies. Modalists teach that God enters into different modes; or God where different hats, so to speak. Modalists foolishly believe that God the Father came to each as Jesus, but then returned to His role as God the Father the Father when He ascended back to Heaven from earth.

Of course, Modalism is of the Devil, a false doctrine of devils. The Bible teaches that there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), but that one God exists in the THREE PERSONS of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Colossians 2:2-3, “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” The inspired Scripture teaches that the fulness of the Godhead (Trinity) dwelt in the earthly spirit, soul and body of Jesus. Colossians 2:9, “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” Jesus came down from Heaven, the Word of God made incarnate, as God almighty in the flesh (1st Timothy 3:16).

Please note that all Scripture citations are only to the inspired King James Bible, because all of the modern English Bible revisions have been corrupted by Satan. Take a look at what the Devil's Bible butchers did to corrupt 1st Timothy 3:16. By the way, nearly every modern English Bible revision completely removes the important word “godhead” from Acts 17:29, Romans 1:20 and Colossians 2:9; thus attacking the Triune nature of God. Kindly said, Modalists are not born again Christians, they are hellbound heretics (2nd John 1:9). Thank you for reading.

Matthew 4:23 - What Is "The Gospel Of The Kingdom"?

Matthew 4:23, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.”

There is a disturbing HERESY being circulated on social media which claims that "THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM" which Jesus preached was something entirely different than "THE GOSPEL" which the Apostle Paul received directly from Jesus (Galatians 1:12; 1st Corinthians 15:1-4). This claim is FAKE NEWS!!! The Gospel of the Kingdom is no different than the SAME Gospel that Paul preached, the same Gospel by which we are saved today in 2024.

In the following Scripture passages, the inspired Holy Bible tells us that Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom. Jesus plainly said in Matthew 24:14 that this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached IN ALL THE WORLD. So, how can it be just for THE JEWS? There is nothing in the Bible to support the FALSE CLAIM made in the following meme, which I found tonight on one of my Facebook friend's page. This is HERESY!!!

Humbly said, I adamantly REJECT the idea that there are two different Gospels, one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles. The Apostle Paul plainly said in Galatians 1:6-7 that there is not another Gospel, there is only one. The way of salvation has always been by faith in Christ. Genesis 15:6 says that Abram (Abraham) BELIEVED GOD and it was counted unto him for righteousness (Romans 4:1-7). Romans 4:4 says that if salvation has ever been by works, then it was by DEBT and not by GRACE.

Israel obeying God's instructions for the rituals of the Tabernacle (which was the job of the priestly tribe of Levi) was strictly a matter of obedience to God, and not of earning their salvation by works.

When Israel failed to keep the Sabbath Day (which symbolized resting in Jesus alone for salvation, Hebrews 4:10-11), God chastised the Jews by giving them 1 year in captivity for every 7 years they had failed to keep the Sabbath Day (490 years divided by 7 = 70 years). God punished the nation, but no one lost God's promise of salvation.

One of my former Bible professors at Hyles-Anderson College has gone off the reservation! Ungodly false prophet Pastor William P. Grady, errantly teaches that people didn't get saved by faith in the Old Testament; but rather, by WORKS (he says).

If the works of the law were required for salvation, then how could any of the Jew's children have been saved as they grew older during their 70 years of captivity 400 miles away in Babylon? The Jews didn't have a Tabernacle, Holy Place, High Priest or Mercy Seat in Babylon. They couldn't do the work of the Tabernacle. Clearly they were saved by faith alone in Christ (Acts 10:43).

𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝟰:𝟮𝟯, “𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗲, 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲.”

𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝟵:𝟯𝟱, “𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲.”

𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝟮𝟰:𝟭𝟰, “𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀; 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲.”

Dr. John R. Rice Wisely Taught There Has Always Been Only One Gospel

Galatians 1:6-7, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.”

Here is what one of my heroes of the Christian faith, Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980), taught about Matthew 4:23 from his commentary titled: "A Commentaery On The Gospel According To Matthew" (1955), which reads on pages 75 and 76:

Notice "the gospel of the kingdom which Jesus preached (vs. 23). It was simply the one, unchanging Gospel, an offer of salvation through an atoning Saviour, but preached with special urgency, since the kingdom was "at hand" (vs. 17). The pressing immence of the kingdom, with the King Himself present, justified calling that Gospel "the gospel of the kingdom."

However Jewish leaders and the Jewish people as a whole rejected the King, and the suceeding events which must be fulfilled (Christ's sufferings, crucifixtion, death, and resurrection) did not lead at once into the overthrow of Gentile kingdoms, the restoration of David's throne and Christ's reign over Israel as one supposses it might have done, had the Jews as a nation repented and turned to Him in saving faith. It is not profittable to speculate as to what might have been. Certainly what did occur was foreknown to God.

...the terms "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Gospel of the Kingdom" seem to be used in the Gospel of Matthew because of a peculiar Jewish cast of this Gospel. The Jews were more immediately interested in the restoration of David's throne and the regathering of scattered Israel and their delivery from Roman rule than Gentiles would be. So the Gospel according to Matthew, which is more clearly Jewish in color than those written by Mark, Luke and John, uses these terms looking toward the reign of Christ. (pages 75, 76) END QUOTE

I agree with Brother Rice. Matthew was NOT preaching a different Gospel than Moses, Paul, Jesus, John or Jonah. Matthew presents Jesus as a King, which is why he uses these applicable terms ("the gospel of the kingdom" and "kingdom of heaven") to give the Gospel a Jewish flavor to appeal more to the Jews. Albeit, it was the SAME one and only Gospel of free grace which has always been preached. People in the Old Testament were saved by looking forward to Calvary; we are saved today by looking back to Calvary. Everyone who has ever been saved, is saved, or ever will be saved was saved by faith. Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”