The parable of the net, Matthew 13:47-59.
(All Bible texts are from the King James Version 1611/1769, unless otherwise stated.)
Verse 47: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
Verse 48: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
Verse 49: So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
Verse 50: And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
This is a parable similar to the one about the wheat and the weeds, except that the wheat and the weeds have been replaced by good and bad fish. This parable tells us that the gospel is being preached throughout the world since the net catches fish of all kinds, and this shows that there were men, women, children, and old people of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, (see Revelation 7:9), who were members of one church or another. When the net was full, that is, when the time came, and the door of grace was closed, the net was drawn ashore, and the fish were sorted, where the good fish are kept, while the bad are destroyed.
It is a phenomenon that affects all church denominations, and that is that God’s church becomes the abode of both those who can be called God’s remnant in the end times, who are the good fish, and for those who really have nothing to do in a church, and these are the bad fish.
The sorting of the fish took place only after the net had enclosed all the fish that could be caught in it. It is now, when the net is drawn ashore, that God examines the character of men. What is examined is whether they have lived up to the light given them on the gospel, and whether they have, to the best of their knowledge and ability, cooperated with heavenly agencies to perfect a character modelled after the perfect example of Jesus. This is a picture of the coming judgment, and we see that there is always some sort of sorting that takes place before the judgment is pronounced, and this is the investigative judgment.
The Parable of the ten virgins, Matthew 25:1-13.
Verse 1: Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
This parable emphasizes the importance of preparing for Jesus’ return. This is done through careful, prayerful study of the Bible. The Bible must be searched.
Here it is said that the virgins took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. But what does it mean that the virgins took their lamps? The Bible tells us that the lamps represent the word of God, (Psalm 119:105). All ten had the word of God, and all were waiting for the second coming of Christ.
Verse 2: And five of them were wise, and five [were] foolish.
Verse 3: They that [were] foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Verse 4: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
What do wise, foolish, and oil mean in this context? The wise are those who have extra oil in their jars, not just the oil that was in their lamps. This was so that the light from the lamp would not go out, or so to speak; so that they would not lose sight of the truths of the Bible.
The foolish do not have the Holy Spirit. Oil is used as a picture of the Holy Spirit, (see Zechariah 4:3-6). In other words, all the virgins had the Bible, but only the five wise had studied it in prayer, and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Verse 5: While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Verse 6: And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Here it says that all the virgins fell asleep. This can lead to a small problem of interpretation – What does the common interpretation say about which group the ten virgins constitute? The common understanding is that the ten virgins consist of all Christians. However, this creates a big problem. Fortunately, the Bible has the ability to explain itself, and the solution comes in the next verse.
In this parable we find what we call the Midnight Cry. The first time the Midnight Cry sounded was in the early 1830s and led to a great interdenominational revival in the United States, and members of all existing denominations were touched by this cry, united in the Advent movement, and it was these who preached the soon return of Jesus.
Who is it that, according to the Bible, is to preach the gospel, which contains the Midnight Cry? Is it God himself, his angels, or is it his special people in the end times? It is obvious God’s special people who are to preach the gospel, not only in ancient times, but also now in the end times. Although many choose to interpret the ten virgins as all Christians. However, it is obvious that some are on guard in the middle of the night when the rest of the Christians have fallen asleep. How else can the Midnight Cry be proclaimed? It is not God, nor God’s angels who proclaim the Midnight Cry, it is God’s watchmen. In the commission in Mark 16:14-18, Jesus says to his disciples, and that includes us: Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. As we see, it was not God himself who was to preach the gospel, nor God’s angels, but Jesus’ disciples.
Who are the ones who proclaim the Midnight Cry, the ones who cry: behold, the bridegroom cometh? God always has a plan, and He raised up William Miller as the first of those whom Isaiah and Ezekiel call watchmen in the end times. How many groups of Christians do we find in this parable? We therefore have three groups of Christians in this parable. 1) The wise virgins who have fallen asleep, 2) the foolish virgins who have fallen asleep, and last but not least 3) those we can call the watchmen, those who are vigilant on the city walls and scout for the bridegroom, and when they understand that Jesus is coming back, they blow their trumpets and cry out loud for all to hear: Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. (Matthew 25:6).
Along with the Three Angels’ Messages and the Loud Cry, the Midnight Cry will sound again just before the final great tribulation. This threefold message is the last warning and the last call to lost humanity. The tribulation will come because of the implementation of the Sunday law, which will come at the very end of the end times.
Verse 7: Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
Verse 8: And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Verse 9: But the wise answered, saying, [Not so]; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
When you have oil in a vessel, why can’t you share this oil with others? That’s what many people ask themselves. So, why couldn’t the wise give oil to the foolish? This is a parable, and you can’t read, interpret or understand the words literally. The point of the parable is to prepare for Jesus’ return, and then it’s about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. When we accept Christ, it happens on a personal level. We are saved individually, not in larger or smaller groups, not whole churches or as whole denominations, even though some seem to believe so. Salvation is a personal thing, a personal relationship between you and your God, and this relationship cannot be shared.
The function of the Holy Spirit in this is to guide and correct us, but it only happens during prayer and study of the Bible. This also cannot be shared because it is on a personal level. Because salvation is personal, the oil in this parable is also personal, and because it symbolizes a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, I cannot share it with anyone.
When the wise virgins tell the foolish ones in verse 9 that they should rather go to those who sell oil and buy it themselves, it has nothing to do with selfishness. Rather, the foolish ones, because they have not spent time praying and studying the Bible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, have not developed the character that is necessary. I cannot develop my brother’s character no matter how much I want to; the individual must do it himself. What the wise virgins are saying in verse 9 is that the foolish ones really should have developed a Jesus-like character as a preparation for the great event of Jesus’ return. We see in the next four verses what will happen to those who have not developed such a character while there was still time.
Verse 10: And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Here we see that the foolish virgins listened to the counsel they were given, and they began to prepare for Jesus’ return through prayer and seeking the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit. But at the same time that Jesus leaves the heavenly temple to return to earth, the door spoken of in this verse is closed. This door is the door of grace, and when it is closed it is too late to acquire the character traits necessary to follow the heavenly bridegroom to his Father’s house. It is not because God does not want them to go to heaven, because He desires all to be saved, but they do not enter because of the choices they have made of their own free will before the door of grace was closed.
At some point in the near future, the door of grace will be closed. If we have not prepared before Christ returns, it is too late, and we will miss the opportunity to be with Him forever. There is also another aspect to the closing of the door of grace. When we talk about the door of grace, we usually mean the “collective” closing that occurs at the return of Jesus, but there is also a closing of the door of grace that we can call “individual” and that is the moment of death. No one has guarantees for tomorrow, not even for the next hour or minute. No one knows when life ends, and this is the individual door of grace that is closed. There are far too many who live in the belief that it is not urgent to repent, but no one has seen tomorrow, the next hour or the next minute, and that is why Paul quotes Isaiah in 2 Corinthians 6:2 and says: … … I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation.
Verse 11: Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Verse 12: But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
These are strong words from Jesus, He says that He does not know them. The reason for this is at least twofold from what I can see. 1) At royal weddings, wedding garments were given to those invited, (see Matthew 22:11-23). They were invited but had not put on their wedding garments. 2) The foolish virgins thought they had performed the services that we saw in the parable of the sheep and the goats, but without the guidance of the Holy Spirit they cannot do such service, (see Matthew 7:21-23).
Jesus tells them that He does not know them, and it was quite a slap in the face to them. They were given the same conditions as the wise virgins but had squandered their salvation by being complacent. They tried to enter the wedding, but the bridegroom had no obligations to them because they had not put on their wedding garments before the door to the wedding feast was closed.
What a disappointment it must have been for those who thought they were among the saved, but who had not made the necessary preparations. I can almost hear their despairing voices as they discover that the door of grace is closed and cry out: But I thought I had everything right with my God… …!
Verse 13: Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Why was it so important for Adventists to preach the midnight cry in the 1830s and 1840s? The purpose of the midnight cry was to give the world a wake-up call through the proclamation of Jesus’ imminent return so that they could prepare for that event.
What is the purpose of the midnight cry? The midnight cry itself, or rather the result of the midnight cry, was the catalyst that accelerated the proclamation of the three angels’ messages and the loud cry. This was Jesus’ purpose for the parable. Everyone in Jesus’ day knew what happened at a wedding, and that the bridegroom might be delayed in coming to fetch his bride. It was this warning that the bridegroom was coming that William Miller, and the other Adventists preached in the years before 1844.
How, then, can we understand this parable? All Christians are waiting for Jesus, who is the bridegroom, to come again. All have the word of God, which here is the lamp. But now we must make a division of the Christians: 3) a small group manages to stay awake, while the large group falls asleep. We can assume that 3) the small group that is not asleep is under the influence of the Holy Spirit and is studying their Bible prayerfully and diligently. These are the ones who are on the watch and are looking for and waiting for the bridegroom to come and cannot be other than the three angels of Revelation 14 and the angel of Revelation 18.
As for group 3), these cannot be other than those who are characterized in Revelation 14:12: they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus – and in Revelation 12:17 as: the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, who in Revelation 19:10 is said to be the spirit of prophecy. These are also explained as God’s watchmen, and these are on guard on the walls day and night and scout for signs of the bridegroom’s coming. Isaiah 62:6 says about these: I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, [which] shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence.
Of the large group, only a part of this – 1) the wise – have the Holy Spirit, which is here compared to the oil. That is, the wise read the Bible in prayer, and in this way they receive the Holy Spirit, but they are not as persistent as the small group. These may be those mentioned in Revelation 18:4 where it says: Come out of her, my people, in other words, they may be those who are still in one of the fallen church denominations. The foolish, group 2), do not have the Holy Spirit. They have the Bible, but they may not even open it, at least they do not read it in prayer to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Then of course the spirit of God will not be in their lives. Because the waiting time is long, everyone in the large group, both the wise and the foolish, falls asleep.
The parable of the good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37.
We can say that there was a war going on between the religious leaders, (the Pharisees and the scribes) and Jesus. They did not miss a single opportunity to try to pin Jesus on the scriptures, and to try to get Jesus to say something so they could condemn Him to death. This is also the background of this parable. When Jesus told this parable He was on His last journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, and the story suggests that the incident in the parable took place in Jericho and involved the Samaritan and a robbery victim.
Verse 25: And behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
The question Jesus was asked was carefully planned by the religious leaders and designed so that they would be able to trap Jesus. This eternal life issue was a constant topic of discussion among the religious leaders, and they believed that eternal life could only be achieved by keeping the things that the scribes determined.
When the lawyer (scribe) asks the question “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” it shows that the religious leaders’ understanding of the law was completely wrong, and we will see that in the end the lawyer himself has to admit that the religious leaders were wrong, and Jesus was right in giving Jesus the answer he did.
For most Jews at that time, achieving salvation was essentially a matter of doing the things prescribed by the scribes. Thus, he believed that one could achieve salvation by works. The Greek word for “do” is poiêsas, (verb aorist active participle masculine singular nominative poiê’sas), and it is used a lot in the New Testament. It usually means to make or to do and encompasses a wide range of actions from creating and producing to performing and carrying out. It is often used to describe God’s creative acts, human actions, and the fulfilment of commands or duties. The term can involve both physical and moral actions, emphasizing the importance of works in the Christian life. When do, as here, is in the aorist tense, it describes an event as a complete action, not an action that was ongoing, unfolding, or repeated.
Verse 26: He said unto him, What is written in the law? How readest thou?
Verse 27: And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
Verse 28: And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
As usual, Jesus saw through the religious leaders, and instead of giving a concrete answer, which they would turn around and use against Jesus, He answers with two questions: What is written in the law? How readest thou? Now the lawyer shows that he knows the scriptures, which Jesus tells him by saying that the answer he gave was correct.
Verse 29: But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
We understand from the conversation that the lawyer knew the law and the prophets, but he did not have the faintest idea of what the text he quoted from the scripture meant, and what implications this entailed. There is a fundamental difference between knowing the scripture and understanding it, and this is clearly evident in the next question the lawyer asks Jesus: who is my neighbour? It is not so different from the church leaders of our time. The fallen church denominations have pastors and priests who are highly educated, and they know the Bible inside and out, but they have little understanding of what the Bible teaches, if they have any understanding at all.
It is now that Jesus tells this story that all the listeners were familiar with.
Verse 30: And Jesus answering said, A certain [man] went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded [him], and departed, leaving [him] half dead.
Verse 31: And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
Verse 32: And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked [on him], and passed by on the other side.
The main point of this parable is that those who were supposed to be the first of all to help a helpless person did not do so. Both the priest and the Levite who passed by the place, they just passed by without helping the half-dead man who was lying on the ground in a pool of blood. The reason was that they did not want to become religiously unclean. This was more important to them than helping the half-dead man. Anyone who touched a corpse was considered unclean, and for all they knew, the man could be dead. They even crossed to the other side of the road so that they would not become unclean by accident.
It must have pained the lawyer to hear this story told the way Jesus did, because it shows how little they understood God’s law.
Verse 33: But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion [on him],
Verse 34: And went to [him], and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
Verse 35: And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave [them] to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
After the priest and the Levite had passed by the injured man, a Samaritan came along. The Samaritans were considered second-class people with whom the Jews should have nothing to do. It was even considered unheard of to talk to them. But now this Samaritan came along, and he didn’t care if he became religiously unclean. The only thing this Samaritan cared about was the poor man lying bruised and half-dead on the road. He took care of him as best he could and brought him to an inn in the city and paid for his care and was willing to give more if it would cost more to care for the injured man.
Verse 36: Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
Verse 37: And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
I am sure that the lawyer did not want to answer Jesus’ question, but in order not to lose face completely, he had to give Jesus an answer. It must have been deep inside him, because when he answers he cannot say that it was the Samaritan but avoids taking that word in his mouth and says instead: He that shewed mercy on him.
The lawyers were completely undressed by Jesus, and they probably now understood that their salvation was not as obvious as they thought. Jesus wants to tell us through this parable that he who is close enough will never fail to notice his neighbour. On the other hand, we find all those who are self-sufficient! These will never find or see their neighbour if they stumble upon him. People today are no different from the religious leaders of Jesus’ time, as they rush past those who are suffering and in need.
What God wants us to do is to give of ourselves in our encounters with our neighbour, and especially when our neighbour needs our help.
The parable of the watching servant, Luke 12,35-40.
Verse 35: Let your loins be girded about, and [your] lights burning.
This is a strange verse to many. What does it really mean to gird up your loins? Having your loins girded up means to be ready for action. During times of war it was used of soldiers who were ready to go out and meet the enemy in battle. In this setting it means to watch and scout for Jesus’ return, and to use the Bible diligently as we wait. This is an event that will be unique. Those who are fortunate enough to live to see this day will see their beloved Savior coming on the clouds of heaven, who are God’s holy angels. What a sight that will be!
Verse 36: And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
We have seen something similar in an earlier parable, that of the ten virgins. We know from ancient times that the bridegroom could tarry a long time before he came to take his bride. He will tarry so long that most of those waiting for him will fall asleep, in the sense that they are almost giving up. But thank God for the watchmen who are constantly watching for the sign of the bridegroom’s coming. They are ready to let the midnight cry sound as soon as they see the sign of Jesus’ return.
Verse 37: Blessed [are] those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
Verse 38: And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find [them] so, blessed are those servants.
When did we see a similar example of the Lord girding Himself and serving His servants? It was in the upper room on the day we call Maundy Thursday (or Holy Thursday) (see John 13:4). It was on this day that Jesus ministered to His disciples, giving us an eternal example of how we should treat one another. This is how we should treat all people we come in contact with. No matter how long it takes for the Bridegroom to come, let us not be surprised by Jesus’ return. We know that day is coming, so let us not be indifferent when it is delayed, saying like the evil servant in Matthew 24:48: My lord delayeth his coming. We should not be surprised because Jesus has told us this in advance.
Verse 39: And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
Verse 40: Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
Here Jesus’ return is compared to a thief breaking in. We never know when it will happen. If you or I have not been the victim of a burglary, someone will always be. For them it is unexpected and surprising. Just as unexpected and surprising will Jesus’ return be for all those who do not prepare for this by diligently examining the scriptures. Those who scrutinize the Bible will be prepared for this, and not least, they can interpret the signs of the times because they follow Jesus’ call in Matthew 24:42: Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come… // … and in Mark 13:23: But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
One day, and very soon, Jesus will return to get His faithful little remnant. He wants you to be with him, because there is no more important person in the whole world to Jesus, and there is no one he loves more than YOU! If you want to be with Jesus when He returns, you must accept Jesus as your Saviour and align your life with what He teaches us through the Bible and this parable.
This applies to all people who want to be with Jesus. We must watch, we must pray, we must scrutinize the Bible, and we must be patient, because even if He delays, He will suddenly be here, and if we have not prepared ourselves when the sign of Jesus’ return appears, we will be left in the dark, because then the «collective» door of grace is closed.
The parable of the two sons, Matthew 21:28-32.
Once again Jesus confronts the religious leaders, and the purpose of this parable was to show their true nature and the choice they made regarding the gospel of the kingdom as preached by John the Baptist and by Jesus. These were supposed to preach the gospel, but they failed to do so. In his usual way, Jesus led them to condemn themselves, so that they could see their behavior in its true light, (see verse 41 of the parable of the wicked vinedressers Matthew 21:33-46).
Verse 28: But what think ye? A [certain] man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard.
Verse 29: He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented and went.
A certain man is God also in this parable. The two sons represent two groups of people, those who obey God and those who do not. Even though Jesus is speaking to the religious leaders of His day, this does not mean that this was not the case before Jesus’ time, for there have always been two groups of people since Cain killed Abel, it is so today, and it will be so until Jesus returns.
The first son who was asked to go and work in the vineyard represents all who do not profess to serve God but live in open transgression. When he was asked to go and work, he did not want to, but eventually he understands the seriousness of the situation and regrets the answer he had given and went to work.
Verse 30: And he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, I [go], sir: and went not.
The second son represents all who profess to be sons of God. This applies primarily to the leaders of God’s church, but it also applies equally to ordinary members of God’s church throughout all ages. This son said he would go and work but did not.
Verse 31: Whether of them twain did the will of [his] father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
After outlining a scenario, Jesus asks which of the two sons did the will of their father and which of the two sons would the father be most pleased with. Obviously, neither of them was perfect. Both sons made mistakes, the first had a wrong relationship with his father, while the second had an incorrect and wrong behavior that showed his lukewarm attitude towards his father.
If you have a profession like these two sons, it doesn’t give you anything, because your profession doesn’t bear fruit if you don’t carry it out. Translated into our context, it becomes this. We are all called by God to preach the gospel. Many refrains from hearing the call but eventually turn to God and go out and preach. The rest take on this task, but they do not bother to go out and preach, because they are content to call themselves sons of God.
Then Jesus pronounces a harsh judgment on the Pharisees and scribes, saying that publicans (tax collectors) and harlots (sinners), whom the religious leaders considered socially and religiously outcasts, would enter the kingdom of heaven before the religious leaders. The publicans and the harlots usually avoided entering the temple and synagogues, and if they ventured in, they were not welcome.
Verse 32: For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen [it], repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
Many of the publicans and the harlots were aware that they lacked God in their lives, and many were baptized by John the Baptist. These rejoiced that they were found worthy of a place in heaven, while the religious leaders were complacent and therefore were not receptive to the gospel. Like the second son in the parable, the Jewish leaders refused to enter the Lord’s vineyard and work there, after they had confessed that they wanted to.
Despite all that Jesus taught them and all the reproofs given to them, they would not change. On the other hand, I can highlight two examples. We have the publican Levi (Matthew) who was called by Jesus. He rose up and left his job immediately, and then we have the harlot Mary Magdalene who, after her conversion, was accepted as one of Jesus’ followers.
The picture Jesus paints of the Jewish leaders is unfortunately a well-known picture of many church leaders in our time as well. They claim to be Christians, but their fruits are far from good. On the outside they may appear to be splendid Christians, but in their hearts selfishness prevails.
I will conclude this parable with something Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees shortly before He was crucified. This applies equally to priests and pastors in our day:
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier [matters] of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. [Ye] blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. [Thou] blind Pharisee, cleanse first that [which is] within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead [men’s] bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets, (Matthew 23:23-31).