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There are two places in the New Testament that
set forth a history of Christendom relative to the
proclamation of the Word of the Kingdom — the central message
of the New Testament.
Both accounts were given by Christ, on
different occasions. He made the first known to His disciples
during His earthly ministry; and this account was given in parabolic
form and has been recorded in
Matthew chapter
thirteen. Then, He made the second known to John about
sixty years later, following John being removed into His presence in
the future Day of the Lord; and this account was given via seven
short epistles to seven churches in Asia and has been recorded in
Revelation chapters
two and
three.
These two account parallel one another and
present two different pictures of the same thing. And they
are each followed by parallel accounts of events that also present
two different pictures of the same thing as well.
The first four parables in
Matthew chapter
thirteen and the seven
epistles to the seven churches in
Revelation chapters two
and three present a
history of the Church that extends throughout the dispensation,
though from two different perspectives. And this history, in each
account, centers on the proclamation of the word of the Kingdom.
Then, the subsequent fifth and sixth parables
in Matthew chapter thirteen and the subsequent fifth through
nineteenth chapters in the book of Revelation record parallel events
that deal with the same thing, presenting different facets of
events that follow the present dispensation. That which is depicted
by these two parables in the gospel of
Matthew and the events
recorded in these chapters in the book of
Revelation has to do with
two things: (1) Christ’s redemption of the forfeited
inheritance, and (2) Christ’s bride becoming His wife.
Then, the seventh parable in
Matthew chapter
thirteen centers on a
future judgment of Christians, with the Kingdom in view.
And this would find its parallel in a number of things in
Revelation chapters one
through four.
In the book of
Matthew, this future
judgment is seen following the revealed history of the
Church; but in John’s account in the book of
Revelation, this future
judgment is seen within the revealed history of the Church.
Charles
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