The Secret of the Hidden Treasure
Introduction
Jesus said, “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”, Matthew 13:44.
While studying the 13th chapter of Matthew we must always keep in mind the difference between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. Our introduction explains the difference in detail. The Kingdom of God is made up of all born again believers, John 3:3, and will last forever. The Kingdom of Heaven is made up of all of Christendom. Christendom is made up everyone on earth who professes to be a Christian whether they are or not, Matthew 13:18-23 and Matthew 25:1-13, and it will last only until Christ comes again, Matthew 13:49-50. The Kingdom of Heaven is made up of saved and lost, good and bad, wheat and tares. The Kingdom of God is made up only of those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ on the cross.
I. A Common Practice
In ancient times it was common practice for a person to hide their treasure in the field behind their house for safe keeping. They did not have banks and vaults like we do today to hide their valuables. This parable tells us of a Man (Christ) who finds a treasure (Israel) and hides it in the field (the world) until he gets ready to take it out of the field and do with it as He pleases.
One of my seven secrets to understanding the Book of Revelation comes into play here. “Determine if a word or phrase should be taken literally or symbolically. When Christ speaks in symbols the meaning is obvious, or He tells us what the symbol means, or there is an Old Testament explanation or example, or it should be taken literally. We need to always remember to let Scripture interpret Scripture.”
II. A Clear Principle
According to Jesus this parable is a mystery. A mystery is not something that cannot be understood. A mystery is something that has not been revealed yet. Right now this mystery is in the process of being revealed right before our very eyes. While we already have a full revelation of this mystery, it will not materialize completely until the Great Tribulation.
Matthew was written primarily to the Jews and it was easy for them to understand what the “treasure” represented. In Psalm 135:4, the Bible says, “The Lord has chosen Israel for His special treasure.” Again in Exodus 19:5 God says to Israel, “You shall be a special treasure to me above all people.” Why would God call Israel the apple of His eye, Zechariah 2:8? Because they are His special treasure.
The Bible says, “He (Jesus) came to His own, and His own did not receive, Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name; who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”, John 1:11. Why did Jesus offer salvation the Jews first? Because they are His special treasure.
When Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the wages for our sins, He did not just buy the “treasure”; He purchased the whole field. He purchased the whole world and everyone in it, and it cost Him everything He had.
III. A Consistent Promise
There are some sincere Bible believing Christians who believe that God is done with Israel as His “treasure”. They believe the church has replaced the “treasure” and the Nation of Israel has nothing to do with modern day fulfillment of prophecy. This is called “replacement theology” and is becoming less popular everyday due to the undeniable prophecies that are being fulfilled almost on a daily basis. They use Scriptures like, Galatians 3:28-29, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.” This is not a hill to die on.
However, I believe it is much more important than one might think. Why? Because Israel is not only God’s chosen, but His “special treasure”.
I agree that our unity in Christ transcends ethnic, social, sexual distinction and nationality, but this has absolutely nothing to do with God replacing His promise to Israel and giving it to the church. These earthly distinctions remain. Physically a Jew is still a Jew, or perhaps I should say a Hebrew. A Gentile is still a Gentile. I’m still a male. My wife is still female. God’s promises to us as male and female do not change. I believe this Scripture is saying we are all “in Christ” and positioned as full and equal children and heirs of God.
Let’s read verse 29 of Galatians 3 again, “And if you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” In context, what is the promise? This promise in context has to do with God’s righteousness being by faith and not by works.
Stay with me now. We are going somewhere. In order to keep this Scripture in context we need to begin reading with verse 5 of Galatians chapter 3, “Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Just as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Therefore, know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, in you all the nations shall be blessed, so then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” Why? Because Israel is God’s treasure.
Stay with me here. Those of us who put our faith and trust in Christ are the children of Abraham, not the children of Isaac, because that would rule out the children of Ishmael being included in the covenant of salvation by grace. The promise of salvation by the grace of God without any mixture of works is for Jews and Gentiles, for the descendents of Ishmael as well as the descendents of Isaac, for anyone who will call on the Name of the Lord. However, the Bible makes it clear that the promise of the “Promised Land” is confined only to Isaac and his descendents, not to Ishmael and not to the church. Why? Because Israel is still God’s treasure.
God said to Abraham, “Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed; and you shall call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him (Isaac) for an everlasting covenant and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I will bless him (Ishmael) and will make fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto you at this time in the next year”, Genesis 17:19-
21. Why? Because Israel is still God’s treasure.
The Apostle Paul says in Galatians 3:15-18, “Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it, (we cannot add the church). Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, and to seeds, as of many, but as of one, and to your Seed who is Christ. And I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”
Please stay with me now. We are almost there. God made a covenant of grace with Abraham over two thousand years before the first coming of Christ. This covenant was all of grace. That is, God did everything. It was an unconditional covenant, and depended solely and entirely upon God’s promise and His ability to keep His word.
This covenant was with the nation of Israel, the seed of Abraham in Isaac, Romans 9:7, not Ishmael. God promised the decedents of Isaac the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession, Genesis 17:18-21. When God says everlasting, He means everlasting. Therefore, I believe this promise is still in effect, and is true now as it was when God first gave it. This age, the world as we know it will end, but this earth will last forever. Over 123 times the Bible makes it clear this planet earth will last forever, and I believe God’s promise to Israel is forever. Why do I believe this? Because Israel is still God’s TREASURE.
This treasure has been hidden in the field since 70 A.D. Beginning in 70 A.D. when general Titus and the Roman Legion crushed the Jews, destroyed the Holy Temple, killed the Jews as a nation, and scattered them to the four corners of the earth, the population of Israel begin to decrease and continued to decrease until 1918.
Sometime between 1918 and 1922 Daniel’s prophecy in Daniel 12:9 was fulfilled. According to Daniel’s prophecy, the key that would unlock our understanding of the prophecies for these last days would be the termination of the scattering of the people of Israel. Why? Because God is digging up His treasure and is in the process of making His treasure a showcase for the whole world to see the glory of God. Over and over again God tells us throughout the Book of Ezekiel and confirms it over and over again in the Book of Revelation why He is digging up His “special treasure”. “Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord”, Ezekiel 38:23.
Jews begin returning to their homeland sometime between 1918 and 1922 and are in the process of taking total possession of their land. There were less than 25,000 Jews in Israel in 1918. Sometime between 1918 and 1922 Daniel’s prophecy was fulfilled. God terminated the scattering of the people of Israel. In 1922 instead of the population decreasing it had grown to over 85,000 Jews in less than four years. In 1932 there were 200,000 and in 1937 there were 430,000 and in 1945, over 500,000. The population was 650,000 in 1948 when Israel became a Nation and in 1974, there were over 3,000,000 Jews in Israel. Today there are around 6,000,000 and growing everyday. Why? Because God is digging up His treasure.
The fig tree, Israel, that was uprooted in 70 A.D. was replanted and came alive in Israel becoming a Nation May 14, 1948, Matthew 24:32-33. In addition, that fig tree is growing very rapidly right before of eyes today. Why? Because God is digging up His treasure.
Jerusalem was a divided city dating back even before Christ was born, but according to the Bible in the last days Jerusalem would be united under the total authority of the Jews. This happened as a result of the six-day war of 1967. Why? Because God is digging up His treasure.
Concerning Israel God said, “I will make you a great Nation; I will bless you; And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you”, Genesis 12:2-3. We had better be careful what we say about Israel. Why? Because Israel is God’s special treasure and He is in the process of digging up this treasure so He can show it to the whole world, proving that He is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
It’s exciting to watch God digging up this treasure today. Even if we did not have the Bible and God’s word on the matter, no one can deny that something wonderful and unusual is going on with Israel today. There have been six Gentile world powers who have tried to wipe them off the face of the earth. Each time a miracle brought them through it with flying colors. There is one more Gentile world power let by the Anti-Christ that will try it with 200,000,000 soldiers. It’s called the Battle of Armageddon. Since we have read the last chapter of the Bible, we know who wins.