Chapter 7

The Degeneration of this Age

(Original Editor's note: We are not in full agreement with this interpretation of the parables. We believe that every law of interpretation bears us out in the position that the parables pertain primarily to Israel).

"The Thoughts of his heart was only evil continually..."

There is a power in the natural world which has a constant downward pull; it is called gravitation. No one knows much about such a principle, but every one must recognize the truth of it. Just so, in the spiritual world there is a power with a constant downward pull; it is called degeneration. No one knows much about such a principle, but every one must recognize the truth of it. This is evident to every Bible student. This downward tendency of the natural man is noted early in the Bible (Gen. 6:5). As the seed of Adam, we are the children of wrath by nature (Eph. 2:1-3). When born-again we are dual creatures; the new creation is housed in bodies that are of the seed of Adam and such is called "the old man." There is a constant conflict between the two (Gal. 5:16-24).

"Shall he find the faith on the earth..."

On the chart before us we have this degeneration set forth by the seven parables in Matthew 13. Before we go into these parables we want you to see the truth of it in plain words. Looking at the chart you observe the letter R at the left; the letter D in the center and the letter J at the right. There are revealed in the Bible seven distinct dispensations. All are different in that each is a test of human nature in relation to the government of God for man. However, all are alike, in that each begins with a new REVELATION; continues with DEGENERATION and closes with a JUDGMENT. Our present dispensation shows this principle.

Christ intimates this degeneration by saying, "Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find the faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). The true faith was preached in the beginning, but it began to be perverted (Gal. 1:6-10). This will continue from Paul's day right on and increase (Acts 20:29, 30; II Thes. 2: 1-12; II Tim. 3:1-7, 13; 4:1-4). In the beginning of the church, God's people were one, with the one faith (Acts 4:32-35; 9:31); in the end of the dispensation there are many denominations and many faiths and the true faith is harder and harder to find. By the word of truth DEGENERATION is scheduled for this age.

A group of parables — 1 to 4 — Degeneration —

These four parables show a progress of thought — that thought is preeminently Degeneration. In the first, the parable of the sower, the pure word of God is sown all over the field. Three casts out of four fail to produce any fruit to maturity; the fourth cast produces varied results in mature grain. In the second parable, the tares in the field, an enemy goes over the same field at night and sows tares among the wheat. These tares are found growing with the wheat and the Master says it must be so till the harvest at the consummation of the age. At that time the angels do the separating. Good and bad in the same ' church greatly endangers the true doctrine.

The third parable, the mustard plant becomes a tree, presents an abnormal growth. The church, always presented as a small, persecuted people in the Bible, is here seen as a large and flourishing world-power (Dan. 4:10-17). The church in the world has become Christendom, and Christendom is now trying to be a world-power in nature and work. The fourth parable, the parable of the leaven in the meal, denotes corruption by contact. Leaven in symbolic use always indicates evil (Matt. 16:5-12; I Cor. 5:6-8). The unsaved in the churches are in the majority and what they want in doctrine they get because unsaved preachers must live (II Cor. 11:13-15; with II Tim. 4:3-5). In principle, the bottom is reached in the fourth parable. The doctrine is in the hands of the people. After seeing this degeneration so far and so deep, the logical conclusion would be: "then, all is lost! It would be true but for God. The two parables show us God's side in the matter. God has two redeeming features yet to come to the surface in His schedule. ISRAEL is His Elect Nation; Israel is now buried in the field which Christ bought on the cross. Israel is God's peculiar treasure (Ex. 19:3-8; Mai. 4:17). "The churches" have unsaved in them, but "the church, which is his body" has none but the saved (I Cor. 12-12, 13). The church of Christ is the Pearl of great price for which Christ gave all— purchased with His own blood (Acts 20: 28). It is formed, pearl-like, around the wound in His side. When Christ returns to earth, these two elections will become God's instruments in bringing up salvation to the Gentiles purchased with His own blood (Acts 15:13-18). No, all is not lost, for God shows the redeeming feature, but this age closes when He comes back. The Hope for the world lies in Christ's return.

Parable 7 — Unconverted net in unconverted sea —

The kingdom of heaven is a sphere of profession — such profession may be true or false. No picture shows this more clearly than this seventh parable, the drag-net. This presents "the churches" at the end of the age; it is Christendom. The true church is within Christendom and will remain there until the Lord takes it out. No man can see in one separate body the Lord's true church — no group or denomination is wholly true to God, having none but the saved within its membership, but the Lord knows His own (II Tim. 1:19). When the Lord comes the true will be caught up to meet Him, but the false will be left behind. The Judgment of this age falls during "the great tribulation" with which it closes.