DCLM Daily Manna 2025: DCLM Daily Manna 14 January 2025: Imperial Judgment Day
Text: Matthew 13:44-52 (KJV)
44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
52 Then said he unto them, Therefore* every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
KEY VERSE: Matthew 13:49,50
“So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Galileo Galilei, the Italian polymath who lived from 1564 to 1642, said: “I do not feel obliged the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect, has intended us to forego them.” He meant that our Creator has given us full authority to mobilize our skills to understand the world around us and key into His vision for humanity. Applying his knowledge as God gifted him, he ran into grave challenges with the religious powers of the day when he claimed the earth orbits the sun and not the other way.
Jesus also recognises this need to fully employ our faculties to grasp His teachings about the kingdom of God and how to enter it and escape the wrath to come. And so, after revealing the dynamics of seeking heaven through a couple of parables, He presents the poser: “Have ye understood all these things?” All the teachings He brought to the disciples were crucial. A field with priceless treasure beneath is bought by a wise man who sells all he has to get the field. There is also the merchant who, locating precious pearls, “sold all that he had and bought it.” Then, there is the net and fish parable. Although there is a catch of both the bad and the good, there is a stage of separation when the bad is cast away.
Unless we allow the Spirit of the Lord to lead us into a more profound comprehension of His teachings, we will not likely grasp what the Lord is saying. Jesus demands a full buy-in into His Kingdom, not a halfway investment. The man who saw the treasure-laden field sold his all; so did the merchantman, releasing his all to gain possession of higher value.
The Lord Himself forsook much to win us for heaven. He is the merchantman and the man in the field; He is charging us to be like Him so that we are not classed among those who miss His message. Such are the bad fishes and the wicked. They listened to Him but failed to allow an appropriate understanding to set in. At His coming, therefore, if they do not repent, they will be set apart and “cast…into the furnace of fire.”
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
The wisest investors are those who invest beyond this earthly realm.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Genesis 41-44
Daily Manna 14 January 2025
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