Chapter 7

Settling Accounts Over the Use of Christ’s Funds

1. What government is without any economic problems, and who now have to settle accounts with this government?

WITH one exception, there is no government without economic problems. Most governments are in heavy debt. The one government that is an exception is the now widely proclaimed “kingdom of the heavens.” (Matthew 25:1) There are still on earth those prospective members of that heavenly Kingdom who are in the service of that government. During this most critical period of all human history, these servants of “the kingdom of the heavens” are being called to account. They have to settle with the government as to how they have used the valuable things entrusted to them.

4. What did the master say to those slaves who increased the number of the talents?

⁴ “After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. So the one that had received five talents came forward and brought five additional talents, saying, ‘Master, you committed five talents to me; see, I gained five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things. I will appoint you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Next the one that had received the two talents came forward and said, ‘Master, you committed to me two talents; see, I gained two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things. I will appoint you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’

⁶ “‘Therefore take away the talent from him and give it to him that has the ten talents. For to everyone that has, more will be given and he will have abundance; but as for him that does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. And throw the good-for-nothing slave out into the darkness outside. There is where his weeping and the gnashing of his teeth will be.’”​—Matthew 25:13-30.

11. (a) What would be part of the sign to mark his return and presence? (b) When would this take place?

¹¹ Since the coming to heavenly Kingdom power by Christ was invisible to human eyes, he had to make apparent his presence in the heavenly Kingdom by the sign that the apostles requested of him three days before his martyrdom. Part of that convincing sign was to be that the man would come back from abroad and take up an accounting with his slaves to whom he had entrusted the highly valuable talents. This being the case, that taking of account of those favored with the use of the talents was due to take place after 1914.

12. (a) Upon whom has devolved the obligation to take the lead in giving the Kingdom witness? (b) Their ultimate salvation depends on what?

¹² This would mean taking account with those who were heirs of “the kingdom of the heavens.” This would signify taking an account with the remnant of that Christian body, which had been begotten by God’s spirit from the day of Pentecost of the year 33 C.E. (Acts, chapter 2) There was to be a remnant of these ones on earth during this “conclusion of the system of things” from 1914 onward. These would be the ones upon whom the obligation would fall to take the lead in the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy for that time: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10) Upon them rests the responsibility of being faithful to the end, in order to be saved into the Kingdom of the heavens. (Matthew 24:13) With their final salvation in view, the Almighty God has strengthened them to endure until now, in spite of worldwide persecution. This fact evidences his approval of them!

False Claimants to the Talents

13. (a) Who claims to have received the talents? (b) At what judgment of her do we arrive?

¹³ Christendom claims to be honorably entrusted with the talents of the wealthy man in Jesus’ parable. But when we take an account of her course of action since 1914, at what judgment do we arrive? This: She has not lived up to her claims. Unfaithful to the man of the parable, she has allied herself with the kingdoms of this world; the politicians of those worldly governments are her paramours. She still backs up the United Nations, the successor of the now-defunct League of Nations.

14. Where do we find Christendom today?

¹⁴ She does not even correspond to the one-talent slave, who proved to be sluggish and who did not increase the belongings of his master. So in this period since the climax of World War I in 1918, Christendom has definitely been exposed as always having been in the darkness outside the Master’s well-lighted house. In the dead of night out there in the world is where, figuratively speaking, her weeping and the gnashing of her teeth have already begun to take place. More of it will yet take place when her political paramours turn upon her and strip her naked as the most reprehensible part of all Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion.

“Evil Slave” Class Thrown Out

15. Who have fulfilled the picture of the sluggish slave, and where do they now find themselves?

¹⁵ Those who have actually been part of the spirit-anointed remnant and entrusted with the Kingdom valuables, but who have quit making the effort to increase the interests of the returned Master, have been thrown out of the Master’s royal service. (Matthew 24:48-51) No longer do we find the sluggish “evil slave” class preaching “this good news of the kingdom.” Rather, they specialize upon their personal salvation instead of the interests of God’s Kingdom. They now find themselves in “the darkness outside,” where the world of mankind is. Their symbolic talent has been taken away from them and has been given to the class that has shown the willingness to use that talent during the remaining part of this “conclusion of the system of things.”