A fifth parable says, “The kingdom of the heavens is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid, and in his joy goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field” (Matt. 13:44). In the Scriptures, the sea denotes the world corrupted by Satan (Isa. 57:20; Rev. 17:15), and the field represents the earth created by God for His kingdom (Gen. 1:26-28). The treasure hidden in the field signifies the kingdom hidden in God’s created world. The treasure hidden in the field must consist of gold or precious stones, the materials for the building of the church and the New Jerusalem (1 Cor. 3:12; Rev. 21:18-20). The church is the practical kingdom today, and the New Jerusalem will be the kingdom in manifestation in the coming age. Before the Lord came, the kingdom was a hidden matter. When the Lord came, He found the kingdom, made it open, and presented it to the Jewish people. Since the Jewish people rejected it, the Lord hid this matter from them. The Lord then went to the cross to die, to pay the cost to buy the field with its treasure. This means that the Lord died on the cross to redeem the earth with the kingdom.
The sixth parable says, “Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a merchant seeking fine pearls; and finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matt. 13:45-46). The Lord in this parable is the merchant, and the pearl is the church. The pearl comes out of the water, which denotes the corrupted world. The pearl, produced in the death waters (the world filled with death) by a living oyster (the living Christ) that is wounded by a little rock (the sinner) and secretes its life-juice around the wounding rock (the believer), is also the material for the building of the New Jerusalem. Since the pearl comes out of the sea, which signifies the world corrupted by Satan, it must refer to the church, which is constituted mainly of regenerated believers from the Gentile world and which is of great value.
The seventh parable says, “Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a net cast into the sea and gathering from every species, which, when it was filled, they brought onto the shore, and sat down and collected the good into vessels; but the foul they cast out” (vv. 47-48). The sea denotes the corrupted world. At the end of the church age, when the Lord comes back, He will send the angels to bring all the living peoples, the unbelievers, unto Him. He will divide them into two classes—a class of good and a class of evil. The evil ones will perish immediately, and the good ones will be translated into the millennial kingdom to be the nations (Matt. 13:49-50; 25:32-46).
These seven parables show us the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens with the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. The appearance of the kingdom of the heavens includes the true believers, the false ones, and all the evil things in today’s Christendom.
The reality of the kingdom of the heavens is revealed in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. The parables in Matthew 13 reveal many evil things, leaven, and false believers. In Matthew 5, 6, and 7, though, the kingdom of the heavens is revealed as something very pure. This is the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. Matthew 5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.” Verse 10 says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.” Verse 20 says, “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens.” These verses show us how strict the kingdom of the heavens is and how pure this kingdom is. Matthew 7:21 says, “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he who does the will of My Father who is in the heavens.” This is the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. To be in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens we must be poor in spirit, we must suffer persecution for righteousness’ sake, we must do the will of the Father, and we must be pure and meek (5:3-10). The parables in Matthew 13 unveil the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens, whereas the teachings in Matthew 5, 6, and 7 unveil the reality of the kingdom of the heavens.
A real believer in the church is not necessarily an overcomer. We may be in the church and still not be in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. Some people are in Christendom, the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens, but not really in the church. To be in the church a person must be a real believer in Christ, regenerated with the life of God. After regeneration, a Christian has to go on with the Lord to be victorious. He must overcome all the sinful things; then he will be in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. To see whether or not we are in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, we need to compare ourselves with the teaching in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. We may be saved, but are we in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens?
When the Lord comes back, the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens will be realized. This is revealed in Matthew 24 and 25. Only the overcomers who are in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today will have a share in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens in the future. The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens will be a reward, a prize, given to the overcomers.