by Lyn Mize

The parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 also pertains to the Church, but it focuses on three servants who are left behind at the Firstfruits rapture. The three servants in this parable typify the evil servant described earlier, and the five foolish virgins in the previous parable. Verse 14 states “For as a man traveling into a far country called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.” The man traveling into a far country is Jesus Christ at the Firstfruits rapture, and He delivers unto these servants all of his goods for the purpose of working during the first half of the tribulation period.

The three servants received five talents, two talents and one talent respectively, and each was to use the talents working in the Lord’s business. The various denominations received indicates that there are varying abilities in the servants to perform in the Lord’s work.

The return of the “lord” after a long time is a picture of the return of Jesus at the Main Harvest rapture of the Church, and His “reckoning” with His servants is a picture of the Judgment Seat of Christ. It is also important to note that the servant who received the five talents exactly doubled his capital, and the servant who received two talents also doubled his capital. Therefore, both servants were equally faithful so both received important positions in the coming millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ. It is also very important to note that the best servant only doubled his master’s capital, and this is in stark contrast to the hundred-fold reaping in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:8. It is also important to note that these two faithful servants are only “good and faithful” as compared to the “faithful and wise” servant described earlier. Also, the good and faithful servants are only made ruler over many things, but the faithful and wise servant is made ruler over all things. The faithful and wise servant was raptured at the Firstfruits rapture, but the three servants in this parable are raptured in the Main Harvest rapture.

The servant who had received one talent was afraid so he hid his talent in the ground. He also accused the master, the Lord Jesus Christ, for being a hard or stern master. He was afraid because he was in the tribulation period, and he felt the master was hard because he had been left behind. The unfaithful servant, a believer, was called wicked and slothful, and his talent was taken away from him. In addition, he received no sovereign authority in the coming kingdom. He was called an unprofitable servant, and he was cast into “outer darkness” where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Outer darkness” is a position outside the sovereign dominion of Jesus Christ in the upcoming millennial kingdom. Outer darkness is not hell. The phrase comes from an ancient oriental idiom that means “to receive the displeasure of the master.” There will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth by Christians when they are not allowed to enter into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. This does not mean exclusion from heaven but exclusion from being a sovereign or ruler in the one thousand year kingdom of Jesus Christ. God the Father promises to wipe away all the tears at the end of the Millennium (Rev. 21:4).