Do not argue in a doctrinal way concerning this matter. In your experience, do you have five talents, or two talents, or one talent? If you are in the third category having one talent, are you a faithful servant or not? You must realize that when the Lord Jesus returns, He will reckon with you. What will your condition be when the Lord comes to settle the account?

Because some say that Matthew is only for the Jews and not for us, we come now to the Gospel of Luke. In principle, what is mentioned in Luke is almost exactly the same. In Luke 19, while the religious people were expecting the kingdom of God to appear, the Lord Jesus spoke a parable to show them that it would not appear as they thought. Even in the Lord's word we can see the two aspects of the kingdom: on the one hand the kingdom of God was among them, and on the other hand the kingdom of God was coming. Beginning in Luke 19:11, the Lord indicated that the kingdom was far away. A certain nobleman went to a far country to receive the kingdom. The far country in this parable signifies the heavens where God the Father dwells. The Lord Jesus as the nobleman went to the far country to receive the kingdom. This indicated to the Pharisees that the kingdom was not appearing, but was far away. While the nobleman was gone into the far country he distributed his capital to his servants so that they could do business for him. The principles in this parable are exactly the same as those in Matthew 25. The first and the second servants received praise from the nobleman and were given authority over ten cities and five cities respectively as a reward. This corresponds to Paul's word that we shall reign with Him (2 Tim. 2:12). To rule over the cities means to reign as a king.

The same concept is continued in the last book of the Bible, Revelation, where the overcomers will be given the authority to rule over the nations (2:26-27). They rule not only over the cities but also over the nations. Revelation 3:21 indicates that the overcomers will sit upon the throne with the Lord Jesus and reign with Him. Finally, Revelation 20:4-6 tells us that the overcomers reigned with Christ as kings for a thousand years.

I am very concerned that we are all still under the influence of the traditional Christian teachings concerning these verses. It is difficult for us to realize the significance of these serious verses because we have been saturated with other kinds of teachings. Because of this, when we come to these verses it is difficult for us to be impressed and to absorb them in a proper way. May the Lord have mercy upon us that our concepts could be purged and that our mind could be pure and easily impressed with the pure Word of God.

You must realize that Luke 19 and Matthew 24 and 25 are the Word of God. First of all the Lord calls the servant a wicked servant (Luke 19:22). An unsaved person cannot be a servant of the Lord. Nor can an unsaved person receive anything as a gift from the Lord. But here the servant received one pound from the Lord. Because that wicked servant did not use the portion that the Lord had given him, the Lord took away that portion and gave it to the one who had ten portions. This does not mean the servant lost his salvation, but it means he suffered a loss. What the Lord had given him was taken back.

Let us also consider Matthew 24. Verses 47-51 read: "Truly I say to you, that he will set him over all his possessions. But if that evil slave says in his heart, my master is delaying his coming, and shall begin to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with the drunken; the master of that slave shall come in a day when he does not expect him and in an hour which he does not know, and shall cut him asunder and appoint his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth." The Word says that the Lord will cut him asunder. To cut asunder does not mean to kill. If he were killed there would be no weeping and gnashing of teeth. To cut asunder is an ancient expression signifying a serious punishment. The servant is still alive because after he is cut asunder he is able to weep and gnash his teeth. What are the weeping and the gnashing of teeth? I do not know, but I am certain it will not be pleasant. I am also certain that I do not want to be there. I am not here waiting upon the Lord to come back just to partake of the weeping and gnashing of teeth.