Question: Is not the treasure in Matthew 13:44 Israel? Is the church hid in the field, or was it hid in God? Does Psalm 135:4 point on to the treasure in Matthew 13:44?
Answer: “The kingdom of heaven” in its mysterious form, (that is, when the King is absent, only called so in Matthew’s Gospel), applies to this present time. It does not apply to Israel in the past, nor in the future—that is, after the church is caught up.
Israel was to be a peculiar treasure, if they had obeyed Jehovah (Ex. 19:5); and they will be it in the reign of Christ, the center for His earthly glory (Psa. 135:4). It will be the kingdom in power then. Israel was never hid in the field. They were well known, not hidden.
In Matthew 13:44 the man found it, and hid it, then sold all that he had, and bought the field for the treasure that was in it. The field is the purchased thing there. In verses 45-46 we find the great object of His delight, the pearl of great price (Eph. 5:25-27). This is what was hid in God, and was only revealed (Eph. 3:9) after Paul was converted.
It is important to notice that all the parables of the kingdom of heaven apply to the church period.
Question: Please explain Romans 6:3-5; and Colossians 2:12.
Answer: The question, “Shall we go on in sin that grace may abound?” is answered, “God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein.”
The teaching is, that we are now brought into a new place through the death of Christ, where He suffered for sin, and we by faith in Him, have part with Him in that death. Can we go on with what we have died to? Then our baptism is unto the death of Christ. His death is now an end to our old place as men in the flesh. Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. His is the pattern of the life we now are to live before God. Our faith lays hold of this blessed truth that we are now before God in Him. We are planted together in the likeness of His death, of which baptism is the symbol, and we shall be also of His resurrection. The believer is always viewed in Romans as being on earth, alive in Christ and justified, but not said to be risen with Christ. Our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin, and we are to reckon ourselves dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Colossians 2:12. In verse 11, the circumcision made without hands is the death of Christ in which the body of the flesh is put off. In verse 12, we are buried with Him; baptism as a symbol, expresses this. We see also that we are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead, thus we have now put off the old man, and have put on the new, which new life is the life of Christ in us, though we are still on the earth. As dead, buried and risen with Christ, we are freed from ordinances, and are now to hold the Head from which all our springs flow.
All that Thou hast, Thou hast for me.
All my fresh springs are hid in Thee.
In Thee I live; while I confess
I nothing am, yet all possess.
Question: Who are the bride and bridegroom in John 3:29?
Answer: John the Baptist speaks there of Jesus as the Bridegroom, and of the bride of the Song of Solomon,—that is, Jehovah’s people, Israel. No Old Testament prophet knew anything about the church of God in the New Testament (Rom. 16:25-26; 1 Cor. 2:9-10; Eph. 3:5). John was there to introduce the King of Israel, and so speaks of himself as the friend of the Bridegroom, and of his joy being fulfilled in seeing Him.