Living Stones University

Last week we covered the 3rd and 4th parables in Matthew Chapter 13. The Parable of The Mustard Seed, and The Leaven. We saw in those two parables, a continued progression of bad mingled in with the good seed of God. We covered quite a bit so, if you didn't get a chance to read that, you might want to go back to last week. These mysteries, Jesus spoke in parables to the large crowds who had gathered to hear Him teach.  This week, we are going to open up the last four parables listed in Matthew Chapter 13. These parables were spoken later that day to His disciples in private. The 5th and 6th parables, we will cover today. Like the Mustard Seed and Leaven, the parables we will look at today are too often misinterpreted. When this happens, it completely misses the "prophetic layer" of the context in this chapter.  So far, we have observed a link between the first four parables in Matthew 13 and the first four letters to the churches in Revelation, Chapter 2. You will se...

So far, we have looked at The Parable of the Sower and the Parable of The Wheat and Tares. In The Sower, we discovered God desires to establish His work in the human heart by way of sowing seed. His seed is good seed, but as soon as God begins a work, the enemy comes and does everything in his power to destroy the seed. We also learned, only a select few (remnant) would receive the seed in good soil (the human heart) and bear fruit, some thirty, some sixty and some a hundred fold! All others who heard the word, will fall as victims to the schemes of the wicked one and never produce any fruit.  In the Parable of The Wheat and Tares, we learned, not only does the enemy attempt to destroy the good seed, he sows some of his own, corrupt seed right alongside the good seed. We discovered the corrupt seed looks very much like the good seed and it is hard to tell them apart, until the good seed begins to mature! We also discovered any bad seed left over at the end of the age, God will s...

Understanding the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven Part II Last week we looked at the first parable in Matthew Chapter 13, "The Sower." We discovered three basic principles as we read. We discovered God's kingdom will be established by the speaking forth of His word (seed). We discovered as soon as God begins to sow seed, the enemy comes to destroy that seed. And finally, we discovered only a few will understand, endure and refuse to be distracted. This remnant, will experience various degrees of success, some thirty, some sixty and some a hundred fold. On the surface, this may not sound like the revealing of a mystery however, we must remember, these are mysteries Jesus is sharing with us! Therefore, this is not something we should take for granted for one second. If Jesus said the enemy is going to come and try to steal His seed, we had better listen up and study up! If we fail to do this, we will most likely end up like Peter, who totally under est...

This week we are going to begin to examine the parables of Matthew Chapter 13. Within these parables are great principles and amazing mysteries which have been hidden from the eyes of man since the beginning of time. In this chapter Jesus speaks eight parables, the first four He spoke to the multitudes who had gathered to hear Him speak. The last four parables He spoke privately to His disciples after they were alone. The first two parables, Jesus gave us the interpretation and this is vital to understanding all parables, as we see later in our studies.  " ...it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. " (Mt. 13:11) We see clearly, in the above verse, Jesus is telling His disciples  " ...it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven." Are you a true disciple of Christ? If so, then it has been given to you to know certain mysteries which have been kept secret from the fou...

A Few Pointers to Biblical Interpretation Next week we will begin to look at the parables of Matthew Chapter 13. But first I want to explain some things about the Prophetic Word. When we attempt to interpret Scripture, there are a couple of simple guidelines we all must follow. Context: When a passage of Scripture is taken out of context, it can take on a completely different meaning than what the author intended. Therefore, it is important to remember who it is the passage is written to. What is the subject matter just before and just after the passage of Scripture you are reading? Subject Matter: What does the Bible say elsewhere about the subject matter you are engaging? There is a rule of interpretation called "the law of first mention". In other words, the first time the Bible mentions a subject, typically, is how it is used elsewhere in Scripture. As we get in to parabolic interpretation next week, I will remind you of this rule! Layers of Scripture ...

This week we will begin to peel back the layers of mystery surrounding the church age. When ever I hear someone speaking of the "mystery" of the church, rapture etc... It's almost always accredited to the apostle Paul. However, as we are about to see, long before the apostle Paul was given this revelation, Jesus uttered these mysteries using parables. The parables of Matthew Chapter thirteen in particular reveal to us the plan for the church from her beginning to her catching away. These parables are prophetically connected to the letters to the seven churches found in the Book of Revelation, Chapters two and three. A quick glance of the chart below gives you an idea of what I am talking about. As we delve into this subject, things will become more clear. I believe an understanding of this mystery is vitally important for two reasons. One, because it will help you understand the times we are living in and the urgency of this late hour of prophetic fulfillment. And...

The rebuilding of the Temple in the Old Testament gives us a perfect prophetic picture of the church today. In the weeks to come, I want to show you something called "The Church Ages" theory. This will give us a great look at the condition of the church today and how she got to this place. We will discover the church today is in a rebuilding period, just as it was in the days of Nehemiah. Broken Gates, Broken Hearts The Book of Nehemiah begins with King Artaxerxes expressing concern for the sad countenance of his beloved and trusted cup bearer, Nehemiah. When the king asks him why he is so depressed and broken hearted, Nehemiah replies: "Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?" (Neh. 2:3). After the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and plundered the Temple, after the 70 years of captivity were fulfilled, the Jewish people began to slowly trickle in, back to their homeland....

A lot has happened since my last blog entry. In fact, too much to go into, but let me just say I feel an urgency. An urgency, I might add, which seems to be missing from the pulpits of most churches. I think most Christians and certainly, most Preachers/Pastors would agree; we are living in the last days. Yet, I don't hear the kind of preaching from the church pulpits that echo this urgency. I don't see the holy fire falling on desperate, hungry hearts who will not be satisfied by anything short of revival and another great awakening. "Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming..." (Joel 2:1, 2) It seems to me, this is all I've been hearing from the Holy Spirit. "Sound the alarm!" "The time is short, the people must get ready!" This urgency is laced into every message I have preached for the past couple of years. If we truly believe th...