I do plan on continuing the Matthew 24 for thing . . .that "is" the title of the thread so I guess that should be the "main" attempt in discussion . . .however . . .this pearl thing has struck yet another chord. Beloved Servant is actually aiming in the direction I am heading as well. Since I left a bit ago, the pearl thing took another dimension in that God told Abraham that his decendants would be as numerous as the sands of the sea . . .the two most common . .actually, I'd have to say three. The three most common places to find sand are at the water's edge, be it sea or ocean. In rivers and streams, and in desserts.
For me, water is a separate dimension of life on earth. It's a strange place. We "can" go in it, but we can't breathe in it. There numberous types of creatures that are extremely agile in water, but not on land. Yet, as much as they depend on the waters for their sustenance, land is where they "reside". And there are aquatic animals that depend on our air for life, but they are restricted to the realm of the water. I use the term "restricted" loosely in that the ration of water to land is 3 to 1. But the point is, that which is aquatic can not, for the most part, "live" in both aquatic and on dry land at the same time. There is a mystic piece in Revelation where the Lord has one foot in the sea and another on the land as he makes a decree . . .for me, one symbolizes the spirit, the other symbolizes the flesh. And I believe one of the unexplainable things Jesus does with us is, he enables us to become one with both. And I think when all things come to an end, there will be a complete merging of land and sea, of spirit and flesh. But I've just wandered off from where I was heading . . .
The sand is both in the water and out, it's like the bridge between one realm and the other. But again, the makings of a pearl starts with an irritant . . .how often, I wonder are we irritants of God? Are we not all but grains of sand? But he covers us with his grace. Layer upon layer, upon layer . . .and over the process of time, we become transformed from irritants to precious gems. Isn't New Jerusalem establishes within gates of "pearl"?
I believe that's the call of all of us, that we become gates, but only those who are pearls can be gates . . .hmmm . . .that'll preach to! That's one of the things Jesus had against the religious leaders. He said they stood at the door of truth, they wouldn't go in, but they wouldn't let anyone else in either. Did you know man has figured out a way to make pearls of his own? I mean besides the really fake ones . . .they actually cultivate their own from oysters . . . they take God's order and manipulate it for their own causes. They take oysters, tie them on strings, insert a grain of sand in them and then just suspend them in the water they're indigenous to. And, they say you can tell the difference because the cultivated ones don't have the same quality of depth in the coloration of the natural ones . .and . . they're just a shade grayer. Don't quote me on that, but you get the idea of what I'm trying to say. Mixing natural reasoning with spiritual truth is the same thing as that.
But when we yield to the process of a true pearl, we are positioned as gates that lead into heavenly places. People enter into NEW Jerusalem experiences as they encounter us. But we all started out as an irritant at one time or another . . .perhaps even now we're manifesting the irritant more than the layers of grace that we're embedding in. But that's not for me to decide or judge, it's just something for all of us to apply to ourselves I guess.
Anway . . .got a couple minutes here so I'll see what we get from it. Where'd we leave off?
31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
I know I left off with this, but there's a couple other things I'd like to touch on. One . .notice "who" it is that's doing the gathering. We've been taught that "we" are the ones doing the harvesting and the gathering. But several places in Scripture, including this one, Jesus explicitly states it's not us, it's the messengers . . .are "we" not messengers ourselves? Yup . . .but . . .it's not about the one carrying the message. Without a message, we wouldn't have an identity at all because a messenger is one who carries the message. But the messenger isn't the one that receives the credit of the message, they're just carrying it. So . . .for me, it's not the messengers that do the gathering, it's the message that is doing the gathering.
When Jesus stated the fields are white and ready for harvest . . .he didn't say spread my gospel so more people can harvest, he said pray that God would send more workers, why? Think about it . . .if it was to be about the end of the earth as we know it . . .why did Jesus say the fields were already white, ready for the harvest "then"? Let's look at John 4 for a sec.
34Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
35Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
36And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
First thing that jumps out at me here is the call to "lift up your eyes". It's another one of those little signals that he's going dimensional. That means there's more than one application here and because we "are" in Matthew 24 and Jesus "is" describing the events that are about to take place which again, were things that 'took' place 2000 years ago, then the fields of white, ready for harvest . . .is not about our day and age now. It's about "that" age then. in another place he says this about the fields.
Matthew 13
38The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
What world? Is he talking about earth? No. the word "world" there is actually depicting the "age". The field was Israel, the tares were those embracing the old covenant system. Again, the reapers are angels. What was it that brought about the slaughter of Israel? It was THE MESSAGE. The religious people were actually killing each other as a result of the message of Christ being spread abroad and it was contradictory to their traiditions.
Mattew 24:31 is the same exact thing as Matthew 18. The fields were white. All of the things Jesus had been planting was ready for harvest and Jerusalem was the threshing floor where the tares and the wheat, the Old Covenant and the New Covenant was being defined.
