Lesson#50

THE PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST
LESSON #50
THE PARABLE OF THE THIEF AND THE HOUSEHOLDER (MAT 24:43-44)

• MEMORY VERSE: MAT 24:44

• THE PARABLE OF THE THIEF AND THE HOUSEHOLDER (MAT 24:43-44)
• READ MAT 24:36-44
• REMEMBER THAT IN MATTHEW 24 JESUS ANSWERED THREE BIG QUESTIONS:
• QUESTION #1 — “WHEN SHALL THESE THINGS BE?”
• QUESTION #2 — “WHAT SHALL BE THE SIGN OF THY COMING?”
• QUESTION #3 — “WHAT SHALL BE THE SIGN OF THE END OF THE AGE?”
• WE HAVE STUDIED THE ANSWERS THAT JESUS GAVE TO THESE THREE QUESTIONS.

• MATTHEW 24 ENDS WITH TWO SIGNS THAT JESUS SAID WE ARE TO LOOK FOR JUST BEFORE THE EVENT OF HIS SECOND COMING:
• SIGN #1 = THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE.
• WE HAVE STUDIED THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE IN OUR LAST LESSON.
• SIGN #2 = DAYS LIKE THE DAYS OF NOAH
• DISCUSSION: WHAT WERE THE DAYS OF NOAH LIKE?
• READ GEN 6:10-13
• THE DAYS OF NOAH CONSISTED OF DAILY WORLDLINESS, VIOLENCE, AND IMMORALITY.
• HOWEVER, THE WORLD HAS ALWAYS HAD THESE THINGS. THERE MUST BE SOMETHING SPECIAL THAT MAKES NOAH’S DAY DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER HISTORICAL TIMES
• THE DAYS OF NOAH CONSISTED OF EXTREME SKEPTICISM WHERE PEOPLE SCOFFED AND LAUGHED AT NOAH BECAUSE HE BELIEVED GOD.
• READ 2PET 3:3-7
• HOWEVER, THE WORLD HAS ALWAYS HAD ITS SKEPTICS. THERE IS STILL SOMETHING MORE ABOUT NOAH’S DAY THAT IS SPECIAL.
• SOME SAY THAT JUST BEFORE CHRIST RETURNS TO EARTH, ARCHAEOLOGISTS WILL FIND THE REMAINS OF NOAH’S ARK BURIED IN THE ICE ON MT. ARARAT.
• THERE HAS BEEN MUCH SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE OVER TIME, SOME FAKE, BUT SOME REAL, INCLUDING MILITARY SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHS THAT PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF A VERY LARGE OBJECT THE SIZE OF NOAH’S ARK. HOWEVER, CONTINUAL POLITICAL STRIFE IN THE AREA SINCE 1915 AND SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS HAVE HINDERED ITS RECOVERY DESPITE NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS.
• PERHAPS IT WILL BE THE RECOVERY OF THE ACTUAL NOAH’S ARK THAT WILL CAUSE THE EXTREME SCOFFING BEFORE THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.
• THE BIG EVENT IN NOAH’S DAY WAS THE FLOOD ITSELF. THERE WAS NOT SUCH A PHYSICAL, WORLD-WIDE EVENT BEFORE THE TIME OF NOAH AND THERE HAS NOT BEEN A PHYSICAL, WORLD-WIDE EVENT SINCE THE DAYS OF NOAH.
• WHAT PHYSICAL, WORLD-WIDE EVENT WILL PRECEDE THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST?
• THE WORLD-WIDE EVENT WILL BE THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON.
• IT OCCURS IN THE PROMISED LAND, BUT THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT ALL THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD WILL SEND THEIR ARMIES TO FIGHT IN THIS BATTLE.
• READ REV 16:12-16
• THE WORLD WILL SUFFER EXTREME EARTHQUAKES, LARGE HAIL, DEATH, AND DESTRUCTION BECAUSE OF THIS BATTLE.

• THE PARABLE OF THE THIEF AND THE HOUSEHOLDER (MAT 24:43-44)
• PARABLES USUALLY ARE MESSAGES OF EXACT LIKENESS. HOWEVER THIS PARABLE IS DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHERS IN THAT IT IS ONE OF CONTRAST.

• WHO DOES THE THIEF REPRESENT?
• THE THIEF IN SOCIETY IS A NEGATIVE PERSONALITY. HOWEVER, BECAUSE THE THIEF IN THE PARABLE REPRESENTS JESUS CHRIST AND THE DAY THAT CHRIST COMES, IT MAKES THIS PARABLE A PARABLE OF CONTRAST.
• THE PARABLE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO TELL US ABOUT JESUS, BUT IT IS SUPPOSED TO TELL US ABOUT THE DAY THE LORD COMES AND ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF THE HOUSEHOLDER.
• READ 1THE 5:2-5 (REV 3:3 REV 16:15-16)
• THE CHILDREN OF THE DAY ARE BELIEVERS, WHILE THE CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT ARE NON-BELIEVERS.
• WHO IS CAUGHT OFF-GUARD BY THE COMING OF CHRIST?
• THE NON-BELIEVERS WILL BE SURPRISED WHEN CHRIST COMES.
• WHO DOES THE “HOUSEHOLDER” (GOOD MAN OF THE HOUSE) REPRESENT?
• THE HOUSEHOLDER REPRESENTS EACH PERSON ON EARTH. THAT MEANS THE PARABLE WILL TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT MAN.
• WHAT DOES THE HOUSE REPRESENT?
• THE HOUSE REPRESENTS THE WORLD FILLED WITH A LARGE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE IN GOD.
• THE CONTROVERSY OVER THE ONE TAKEN AND THE ONE LEFT: (40-41)
• MAT 24 DESCRIBES TWO IN A FIELD, ONE PERSON TAKEN, AND THE OTHER PERSON IS LEFT; OR TWO WOMEN GRINDING, ONE WOMAN IS TAKEN AND THE OTHER IS LEFT.
• WHO ARE THOSE TAKEN? WHO ARE THOSE LEFT BEHIND? (40-41)
• BEFORE WE ANSWER THAT QUESTION, WE MUST SETTLE A MAJOR ISSUE CONCERNING MATTHEW 24, AND AROUND WHICH THERE IS MUCH CONTROVERSY.
• WHICH EVENT IS JESUS TALKING ABOUT IN THE PARABLE, THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH OR THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST?
• MANY PEOPLE CONSIDER THAT THE PARABLE REFERS TO THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH WHEN TRUE BELIEVERS IN CHRIST WILL BE TAKEN OUT OF THE WORLD JUST BEFORE THE SEVEN-YEAR PERIOD OF THE TRIBULATION.
• MANY PEOPLE CONSIDER THAT THE PARABLE REFERS TO THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST WHEN CHRIST’S COMING BRINGS A SEPARATION OF BELIEVERS AND NON-BELIEVERS. BELIEVERS ARE GIVEN THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM WHILE NON-BELIEVERS ARE KILLED AND AWAIT A FINAL JUDGMENT.
• TO DETERMINE TO WHICH EVENT JESUS REFERS, WE MUST CONSIDER NOAH’S FLOOD:
• THOSE PEOPLE LEFT IN THE WORLD WERE NOAH AND HIS FAMILY OF BELIEVERS.
• THOSE PEOPLE TAKEN OUT OF THE WORLD WERE THE NON-BELIEVERS WHO WERE KILLED AND STILL WAIT FOR A FINAL JUDGMENT.
• JESUS GIVES US THIS INTERPRETATION IN MAT 24:38-39.
• THE PEOPLE WHO WERE TAKEN WERE NON-BELIEVERS.
• THEREFORE, IF THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE LEFT IN THE WORLD REPRESENT THE BELIEVERS AND THOSE WHO ARE TAKEN OUT OF THE WORLD FOR JUDGMENT ARE THE NON-BELIEVERS, THEN THE EVENT IN THE PARABLE MUST REFER TO THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. WHY?
• BECAUSE IN THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH IT IS JUST THE OPPOSITE:
• THOSE TAKEN OUT OF THE WORLD ARE THE BELIEVERS AND THOSE WHO REMAIN ARE THE NON-BELIEVERS.
• IT WAS THE WORLD-WIDE FLOOD OF NOAH’S DAY THAT BROUGHT DEATH TO ALL NON-BELIEVERS AND TOOK THEM OUT OF THE WORLD.
• IT IS THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON THAT WILL BRING DEATH TO ALL NON-BELIEVERS AND WILL REMOVE THEM FROM THE WORLD.
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?
• JESUS EMPHASIZES PREPARATION FOR HIS SECOND COMING, NOT EXPECTATION. JUST AS A PERSON DOES NOT EXPECT A THIEF TO COME TO HIS HOUSE, THE NON-BELIEVER DOES NOT EXPECT CHRIST TO RETURN TO THE EARTH. JUST AS THE WISE PERSON WILL DO ALL HE CAN TO PREPARE FOR THE THIEF WHO MAY COME AND INVADE HIS HOUSE, THE NON-BELIEVER WILL PREPARE HIMSELF AND BE READY FOR CHRIST’S COMING.
• DISCUSSION: WHAT ARE SOME WAYS THAT A PERSON CAN PREPARE FOR THE LORD’S COMING?

HOMEWORK
THE PARABLE OF THE FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT (MAT 24:45-51)
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.

• APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE OF THE THIEF AND THE HOUSEHOLDER (MAT 24:43-44)
• IN YOUR PERSOAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST, WHAT DO YOU NEED TO WORK ON IN ORDER TO PREPARE FOR THE COMING OF CHRIST TO THIS EARTH?

• MAKE A COMMITMENT IN PRAYER TO WORK ON THESE AREAS OF YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE. ASK THE LORD TO GIVE YOU THE STRENGTH AND DETERMINATION TO FOLLOW THROUGH!

• PREPARATION FOR THE PARABLE OF THE FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT (MAT 24:45-51)
• READ MAT 24:43-51 AND LUK 12:42-48 AND 1COR 3:11-15 FOR THE BACKGROUND AND THE CONTEXT OF THE PARABLE.
• WHO DOES THE FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT REPRESENT?

• IN WHAT “HOUSEHOLD” DOES THE WISE SERVANT HAVE CHAGE? (45)

• WHAT IS MEANT BY THE PHRASE, “GIVING THEM FOOD IN DUE SEASON”? (45)

• WHAT IS MEANT BY THE PHRASE, “RULER OVER ALL HIS GOODS”? (47)

• WHO IS THE “EVIL SERVANT” AND HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE HIM AND HIS ACTIVITIES? (48)

• WHAT IS THE REWARD OF THE EVIL SERVANT AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN? (51)

• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?

• MEMORY VERSE: 1COR 3:14