The Negative Development of Christianity ~~ Witness Lee~~ 5/1/2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~Bible Verses (Recovery Version) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke 13:18~~He said therefore, What is the kingdom of God

like, and to what shall I liken it? (19) It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw

into his own garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the

birds of heaven roosted in its branches.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Up until now, the Lord’s word concerning the kingdom in Luke
has been positive. But here He talks to the disciples
concerning the kingdom in a negative way, teaching them about
the kingdom as a grain of mustard (vv. 18-19) and as leaven
(vv. 20-21). The fact that this mustard seed [an herb] grew
into a tree indicates that it did not grow into something
according to its own kind. An apple tree, for example, should
be according to the apple tree kind. But here the mustard
seed does not grow after its kind, but instead grows into
another kind. This is the breaking of the principle ordained
by God in His creation. If we see this, we shall not
interpret this parable in a positive sense.

Some teach that the mustard becoming a large tree is a
positive development. But according to the history of
Christianity, there has not been such a positive development.
In fact, this parable is a prophecy that has been fulfilled
in the history of Christianity. Actually, today’s
Christianity is not something after its kind. The church,
which is the embodiment of the kingdom, should be like an
herb to produce food. But it became a “tree,” a lodge for
birds. This means that, contrary to the law of God’s creation
that every plant must be after its kind, its nature and
function were changed. This took place when Constantine the
Great mixed the church with the world in the first part of
the fourth century. He brought thousands of false believers
into Christianity, making it Christendom, no longer the
church. The church, according to its heavenly and spiritual
nature, should be like a mustard [an annual herb], sojourning
on earth. But since its nature has been changed, the church
became deeply rooted and settled in the earth as a tree,
flourishing with its enterprises as the branches to lodge
many evil persons and things. This has formed the outward
organization of the outward appearance of the kingdom of God.

In Luke 13:19 we are told that the birds of heaven roosted in
the branches of this tree. In 8:5 and 12 the birds of heaven
are related to the Devil. Therefore, the birds of heaven here
must refer to Satan’s evil spirits with the evil persons and
things motivated by them. They lodge in the branches of the
great tree, that is, in the enterprises of Christendom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible
(RcV) and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of
Luke, pp. 265-266. Both are published by Living Stream
Ministry, Anaheim, CA.
birds of heaven roosted in its branches.