One of the most often-stated promises coming from pulpits and podiums world-wide is that the church member’s inheritance is awaiting him/her in heaven where the streets are paved with gold and lined with the mansions of the saved and born again and where the sounds of angelic voices fill the air under the direction of Elvis Presley who, I was recently informed, was God’s gift to mankind as the example for the church to follow. Read The Real Elvis. Key word–Elvis.

THE SAINT’S REWARD IS IN HEAVEN WHERE HE/SHE WILL GO UPON DEATH, RIGHT? A parable spoken by Jesus offers the best answer to that question. However, the narrative will bring to light the fact that salvation seekers tend to STOP READING BEFORE THE ENTIRE LESSON HAS BEEN LEARNED. In Luke 19:11-27 we find Jesus speaking to a group of people who believed that the Kingdom of God would come soon. He taught them the truth about the future using a parable about a “nobleman” who would travel to a “far country” where he would receive his promised inheritance–a kingdom. In keeping the explanation as brief as possible, I will point out several important facts that, combined, will show exactly where the true saint will spend eternity. These facts are as follows: 1) The nobleman went into a far country to receive his inheritance, then, upon receiving it, HE RETURNED HOME (vs 13). The nobleman’s inheritance was not located in the “far country,” but rather in the country from whence he had come. His inheritance was that country over which he had been ruling. He had been the heir (had the PROMISE of legal ownership) all along. He went to the “far country” to RECEIVE FROM THE LEGAL OWNER HIS INHERITANCE–LEGAL OWNERSHIP OF THE KINGDOM over which he had previously governed. 2) The nobleman had left his “servants” in charge of providing for the “citizens” of the kingdom during his absence. He had instructed them as to how to care for those citizens. Upon his return, he found that his servants had not led the citizens in the way he had instructed them. 4) Now the absolute and legal ruler over the country, the nobleman learned that his citizens, led by his “servants,” had turned against him during his absence and did not want him to rule them. 5) These, both servants and citizens, would feel the brunt of the nobleman’s wrath. He would kill them (vs 27).

The “players” in the parable were as follows: The nobleman was Jesus Christ. The kingdom over which He ruled while on earth was the church. The far country was heaven where the legal owner of his kingdom (God) lived. The servants were the ministers who were tasked with leading the citizens–the congregation–according to his orders. They failed and led the congregation astray and into false religion–Catholicism/Protestantism. Christ will one day return to claim His inheritance–the true church, the earth and the universe. Those servants and citizens who are not obeying His commands will pay the price for their rebellion. Those citizens and servants who have continued to obey Him will be rewarded with joint-inheritance with Him (Rom. 8:17) here on earth. Read The Kingdom of God. Key word–kingdom. The true saint’s inheritance is not in heaven, but rather on earth from whence he/she will rule, first the earth, then the universe under the direct leadership of Jesus Christ. Read God’s Very Elect: Future Caretakers of the Universe. Key word–Caretakers.

IS GOD’S CHURCH THE MUSTARD SEED OR THE TREE? In order to answer this question we need to first lay some groundwork. In Matthew 13 we find Jesus speaking to “great multitudes”–not merely multitudes, but great multitudes–of people who had followed Him down the Sea of Galilee. Notice that there were many people, and that they were gathered “to Him.” He was the reason they had gathered in that place. Let us backtrack momentarily. Great multitudes of people had gone to the trouble of leaving their homes, walking to Capernaum, finding His house, then following Him down to the sea where they endured the elements in order to be in His presence. One could assume that Jesus had something they wanted, else why would they have gone to so much trouble to be with Him.

Jesus knew this. Outwardly, this was an excellent opportunity to tell “great multitudes” of people about the Kingdom of God. Thousands could be ministered to at one time. Jesus could not have asked for a better situation than this. One would have assumed that He would speak to them about the future and how they could spend it with Him. Surely He would make the way to salvation clear. However, He did not speak to these potential converts in plain language. He spoke to them in parables which, He would later explain to His disciples, WERE DELIBERATELY DESIGNED TO PREVENT HIS AUDIENCE FROM KNOWING “THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN” (vss 10,11). But did He not want them to know how to enter the church that would be formed upon His death? No. Why? Was that not His purpose in coming to earth? Yes. So why speak to them in parables? Jesus explains in verses 12-15.

Jesus knew the hearts of men through the power of the Holy Spirit. In verses 12-15 He explains why He did not speak to the masses in plain, understandable language. Let us examine each of the reasons they were not allowed to understand His message. These were Jews, God’s chosen people who had access to the “oracles of God”–His Words (Rom. 3:2). However, they had rejected God’s Word. They had chosen to believe and obey little of God’s Truth and would therefore lose what little Truth they had. So much for the sweet, understanding Lamb of God we hear so much about. These people were dealing with the Lion of the tribe of Judah Who demands strict obedience.

These people knew God’s will but refused to obey it. They were not among those who knew it, obeyed it and therefore received more of it. They would lose what little they knew. This is the ultimate “use it or lose it” dictate. These seemingly Truth-hungry people had not traveled from all over the region to hear God’s Truth. Jesus knew that they had something totally different in mind. In verses 14 and 15 Jesus spiritually lays them open for our eyes to see what was in their hearts. They had deliberately blinded and deafened themselves as have those in “the church” today as they listen to their false prophets and follow their teachings. When the “Nobleman” returns to the church (His inheritance) whose members (“enemies”) have rejected Him, He says that He will slay them (Lk. 19:27). Which returns us to the “mustard seed or tree” question. Hint: Jesus rejected the “great multitudes” who had gone to great lengths to be with Him. Only eleven of those with Him that day and heard Him speak would obey Him. Judas Iscariot’s heart was with the multitudes.

Having noted Jesus’ dealing with the masses who flocked to Him, let us look at the other side of the numbers coin in order to learn who is who relative to their relationship with Him. In Matthew 13:31 and 32 we find Him comparing His true church to a mustard seed, which is the tiniest of seeds. He then notes that if left to follow its own directions it grows into a tree in which birds build their nests. We can compare His mustard seed to church today at the end of the age to the mega-churches and world-wide ministries carried out via television, radio and the internet today. Upon listening to the leaders of these TREE CHURCHES one soon learns how they became so large. Let us remember what birds do to trees. Back in Missouri we say about someone who fouls up his life that he “messed in his own nest.” Like birds, the religious masses have listened to their leaders who pooped (spoke false doctrines) that the people (birds) want to hear. The birds then poop out the same feces (false “truths”) until the tree is covered with a “perverted Gospel” (Gal. 1:6-9) to the point that no one can get through to them with the clean Truth of God. I have waded through much religious manure carrying the true Gospel. With extremely rare exception, the result has been smelly boots. Hopefully, you readers of God’s Truth have come out of the poop-ladened religious tree known as “Christianity.”

Through all of this, Christ’s tiny church remains true to His Word and therefore keeps herself true to her Master. His mustard seed sized church is what Jesus was referring to in Matthew 7:13,14. The strait (difficult) gate is His true church and His narrow (restricted) way is His Gospel which must be obeyed without variation. The other gate is much more popular because it allows man to determine his own truth.–his own path to walk. This is what Jesus was referring to in Matthew 16:23 where He tells Satan that he (Satan) is only interested in “the things of (that please) man.” By telling man what he wants to hear the devil lures the vast majority of salvation seekers into his church system and keeps them there.

The difference between God’s tiny church and Satan’s “great multitudes” church is obvious to everyone. The problem is that those in the tree believe that their bigness and grandeur prove that God is with them and against those in the tiny church. Recall that Jesus said that where two or three are gathered together in His name (a tiny church), He will be with them. To learn Christ’s attitude toward the tree sized church read Revelation 3:14-20 where Jesus addresses the world’s final (Laodicean) church era. You will see that He is perfectly describing “the (feces-coated tree) church” today. Meanwhile, the tiny Body of Christ continues to walk His narrow way that leads to the Kingdom of God. I trust that you are a seed-er and not a tree-er. L.J.