Jesus taught that the Word of God would fall on four different types of hearts;
1-wayside-hardened hearts-birds or the enemy snatches seed away
2-rocky-no roots, withered away because of opposition
3-thorny-cares of life choked seed, becomes unfruitful
4-good-hears and understands Word, reproduces in different measures
Jesus taught that we should be able to see with our eyes, hear with our ears, which in turn would bring understanding to our hearts. This understanding to our hearts would cause us to return to the Lord for healing of our souls.
Jesus taught another parable about an enemy sowing tares among the wheat. Instead of gathering up the tares and damaging the wheat, they were both allowed to grow together until the harvest. At harvest the separation would take place. The tares would be burned, while the wheat would be gathered into the barn.
It is interesting to read of four different categories of people that will be living on earth at the end of time. Revelation 22:11 “ Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” ESV
1-evil-hardened hearts or soil where the birds or enemy snatched the seed away
2-filthy-rocky soil with no roots to endure, withering to death in destructive lifestyles
3-righteous-soil which allowed the cares of life to choke their fruitfulness
4-holy-soil or hearts who hear and understand the Word, reproducing a crop in varying measures
We all know that a toddler does not need to be taught how to get into trouble. However, the toddler does have to be taught what is pleasing to the parents and others. He/she has to learn how to live under the parent’s authority. He/she has to learn how to overcome their self-willed desire to always have things their own way.
If a child is left to their own way they will get into trouble, harming themselves or others, or the property of their own or of others.
If a child learns to trust the judgment of his parents, then he will learn respect for others and their property. (Providing his parents have learned this lesson)
A child then becomes like the soil in the garden. The seed is the teachings sowed by the parents. The wayside soil of the child is the child not understanding what is being communicated. The rocky soil is the child not being supported in following the instructions properly. He/she is left to their own decisions. The thorny soil is the child understanding but being distracted by the things that he/she would rather be doing. He/she ends up doing things his/her own way in rebellion. The good soil is the child understanding not only the directives but that these directives come out of love for his/her well-being, so he/she submits in obedience to the parent’s authority out of respect.
The parents understand that outside the protection of the walls of their home, there will be enemies who will sow tares into the hearts of their children. Their hope is that these tares will not undo all the good seed which they have tried to sow into their child. They are trusting that their child will choose what is right over what is wrong and continue on to reproduce their good seed in many different measures of abundance.
Jesus said we all need to become as little children to be able to enter into the Kingdom of God.
Lucifer was God’s created child.
Lucifer was created in beauty above all other angels. He was the covering cherub over God’s throne. Lucifer led the heavenly choir in praise and worship. He was arrayed with all manner of precious stones (just like the High Priest of the Tabernacle) with the artistic gift of music. It appears that he had some kind of authority over the pre-Adam earth. He was pretty secure with his favor with the Father.
Jehovah tried to instill into Lucifer respect for authority, the rights and property of others. Lucifer was too busy grooming himself before the mirror to listen properly. He started out holy, perfect in all his ways. He then drifted down to righteous by allowing his pride and beauty to distract him away from God, the one who had given him his beauty in the first place. He began to covet all that God ruled over, desiring the worship that the other angels gave to God. This is when he drifted down to evil. Lucifer then took action upon his thoughts and imaginations, by going in and out among the other angels, slandering God with accusations. “If you worshiped me, I would give you a higher position of authority.” “If you would give your allegiance to me, I would appreciate you more than your Father does.” “If you follow me, I will show you how we can rule the universe for ourselves.” Lucifer’s five ‘I Wills’, became his fall to filthy with a name change to Satan.
Satan means to obstruct or to oppose. Lucifer means bearer of light. Here are some of the different names assigned to Satan in the Bible. You will notice that he is referred to as accuser of the brethren and the ruler and power of darkness. Lucifer started out as accusing and opposing God, while in the 3rd heaven. He fell into darkness, and now rules over all those in darkness as the prince and power of earth’s atmosphere. He still accuses mankind before the throne of God, especially believers in Christ as the Son of God.
1-Abaddon – Rev. 9:11
2-Accuser of the brethren – Rev. 12:10
3-Adversary (one who stands against) – 1Peter 5:8
4-Angel of the bottomless pit – Rev. 9:11
5-Angel of light – 2Cor. 11:14
6-Antichrist – 1John 4:3
7- Apollyon – (Greek Apolluwn, or Destroyer) – Rev. 9:11
8-Beelzebub:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15
9-Belial – 2Cor. 6:15
10-Devil – Matt. 4:1; Luke 4:2,6; Rev. 20:2
11-Dragon – Rev. 12:7
12-Enemy – Matt. 13:39
13- Evil spirit – 1Sam. 16:14
14-Father (father) of all liars – John 8:44
15-God (god) of this world – 2Cor. 4:4
16-Great red dragon – Rev. 12:3
17-Lucifer – Isa. 14:12
18-Man of sin – 2Thess. 2:3
19-Murderer – John 8:44
20-Old serpent – Rev. 12:9, 20:2
21-Power of darkness – Col. 1:13
22-Power of death – Heb. 2:14
23-Prince of this world – John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11
24-Prince of the power of the air – Eph. 2:2
25-Roaring lion – 1Peter 5:8
26-Ruler of darkness – Eph. 6:12
27-Satan – 1Chron. 21:1; Job 1:6; John 13:27; Acts 5:3, 26:18; Rom. 16:20; Rev. 20:2
28-Serpent – Gen. 3:4, 14; 2Cor. 11:3; Rev. 20:2
29-Son of perdition – John 17:12
30-Tempter – Matt. 4:3; 1Thess. 3:5
31-Thief – John 10:10
32-Wicked one – Matt. 13:19, 38
Angels had to choose between serving God and serving Lucifer. 1/3 of the hosts of God chose to rebel with the devil and were cast out of God’s throne room. Those who stayed with God are loyal to Him to carry out His will in Heaven and on Earth.
God is sowing the good seed of His Word among four types of people on this earth: filthy, evil, righteous, and holy. It is obvious that the filthy and evil will not be part of the throne room of God. This leaves the righteous and the holy. I believe the holy will rule and reign from heaven with God, while the righteous will be those who come through the great tribulation, refusing the Mark of the Beast. I also believe that we will be surprised as to who are holy and who are righteous. All that call Jesus Lord, Lord, will not be acknowledged by Him.
The parables about the types of soils and the wheat and the tares carry a meaning of authority. All four types of soil were allowed to do their own growing process, until God gave the command to gather the wheat and the tares into two separate destinations. Submission or rebellion to the seed of the Word was a personal choice until the harvest. Then it was God’s choice as to which was gathered as wheat and which was gathered as tares. Only God can see the heart to be able to judge justly. This is why we leave the death of each soul in God’s hands for judgment.
The child who submits to his parents’ authority, grows up confident and self-assured, able to exercise authority in the proper manner on his/her own. The child that doesn’t learn how to submit to the authority of his/her parents, grows up without having authority over his own life, and finding himself/herself under bondage to others and to the things of this life.
There is a protocol for visiting a president or a king. It involves a lot of reverence for the position and the person holding that position or title. There are certain acceptable behaviors and many that are never condoned. Lucifer failed to follow this protocol before the God of all creation in the throne room of heaven. He found himself on the outside, falling downward. He now hates God and His Creation. He hates mankind for being in the image of God, knowing that those who believe will replace him and his angels around the throne of the Father. Satan is now a roaring lion seeking those he can destroy by deceiving them into rebelling against anything that has to do with God and heaven.
Adam failed the test of obedience because he listened to Satan instead of to God. Jesus was tempted face to face with Satan, yet He chose to obey His Father instead of giving obedience and worship to the devil. Jesus shed the Blood of His Atonement on the cross to pay Satan’s ransom price for our souls. Satan doesn’t have any authority over us since Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, as long as we submit ourselves to our heavenly Father. We have to constantly choose to exercise our wills or authority over the fleshly desires of self-sufficiency, popularity, and the following of the appetites of the body.
Jesus said, “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.” Revelation 21:7 NASB
We have to overcome all the temptations that Satan throws at us. He wants us to receive worship and fame for ourselves instead of giving God all the credit for what we have in this life. At the same time we have to crucify the fleshly desires for the things of this life while seeking those things which are above and eternal. Why? Because you are destined to judge angels. Take time to meditate on that statement. How will you exercise authority justly if you have never learned how to submit to the authority of your Heavenly Father during your childhood? (the whole six to eight decades of this life is nothing more than our childhood)
The authority of the parents is the protective walls for the child. God is the ‘head’ or authority of Christ. Christ is the ‘head’ or authority of man. Man is the ‘head’ or authority of the wife. The parents are the ‘head’ or authority of the children. The family is a spiritual habitation for the Holy Spirit of God. Respect, reverence, kindness, gentleness, love, mercy, forgiveness, and helping one another, all are forms of submission providing a dwelling place for God’s Spirit in the midst of the family unit.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven. Jesus taught us to pray this way for a reason. This is the order and harmony of heaven.
God is over Christ, who is over the cherubs, who are over the seraphims, who are over the archangels, who are over the angels, who watch to see how man submits his will to Christ.
Christ is over man, who is over the wife, who is over the children. Paul even taught that there should be a sign of respect on the heads of women because of the angels. Why would he make such a statement? Hebrews says we are surrounded with a great cloud of witnesses.
We forget that God is everywhere present at the same time and that He sees and knows all. Jesus has His blood sprinkled on the altar of atonement in heaven. He is our High Priest that lives to make intercession for us forever. The angels are personally involved with the Priesthood of Christ in interacting with mankind on a daily basis. There is no barrier between the Spirit world and the spirit of man. We are surrounded by many witnesses watching to see which one we will choose.
When we live for self, we are rebelling against all the authority over us. We attract the darkness of Satan’s Kingdom. When we choose to disobey the teachings of God’s Word written in our consciences, we attract the darkness of Satan’s Kingdom.
When we humble ourselves to seek God, asking for His forgiveness and mercy, we attract the attention of God’s Kingdom. (angels rejoice over one sinner who repents) When we choose to obey the teachings of God’s Word written in our consciences, we attract the light of God’s Kingdom.
When we self-rule, we are using the spiritual authority of demons. When we submit to God and to one another, we are using the spiritual authority of Jesus Christ. Our earthly authority comes from one or the other. Adam had authority, but he gave it to Satan. Without submission to Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are under Satan’s authority. We only receive Christ’s authority when we submit our wills to His by confessing with our mouth our belief in His Word.
Jesus said that he who is first, shall be last. He that is last, shall be first. The way up is down. Humble thyself to be exalted. The way in is through Jesus Christ as the door, the life, the way, and the truth. Why? Because Lucifer did the opposite to compete with God, and now he is Satan.
We have no authority of our own. All authority that we have is either from Satan’s kingdom or from God’s kingdom. We brought nothing into this world, and we shall take nothing out. When we stand before God to be judged for the deeds done in this body, we will have only the authority that He gives to us, nothing from our own intellect, and nothing from Satan. We will be on our own corrupt fleshly terms. Our character will show who we have been associating with.
If we are judged worthy of singing around the throne of God, then we will be granted new authority to rule and reign with Him. If we are not judged worthy of eternal life, then we will keep company with Satan and his demons, without any authority at all. The devil even hates his own.
Father, I ask that you would open the ears and the eyes of your people. Give them your Spirit of understanding and light in their minds to see and understand clearly. They need help to make the right choice between these two kingdoms. Remove the blindness, the hardness, the deafness, and the rebellion long enough for them to see that you love them as their heavenly Father and want them to live with you for eternity. Help them to see the deceptions of the devil for what they are, lies. Father there is no authority outside of you. We can’t even wake up each morning without your breath of life. We are under your mercy and grace for our daily needs of protection and provision. These daily portions of our lives could be taken away in a moment of time. You have our days numbered and we all have an appointment to stand before you. Send your Holy Spirit into our hearts to convict us of right and wrong, and to lead us into your truth. Help us to clean away the filth of our sinful ways, as you give us the power to make the right choice. Thy will be done and thy kingdom come in each of our hearts. In Jesus Name I ask. Amen.