Answers to Catholic Converts, 5

Gary Coates postulates: "From which most sensible people would assume that Jesus' point was to stress the growth nature of his kingdom, from very tiny beginnngs to that which would fill the whole earth."

I respond: On the contrary, 'sensible people' would take into consideration the bizarre turn the Parable takes before coming to any rash conclusions. Had the Parable concluded with the words, "but when it is grown it is the greatest among herbs," there would be just cause to interpret it according to Coates. But that is not where the Parable concludes. Jesus continues, explaining that it will take an unnatural direction by becoming a tree. I reiterate: an herb is not a tree. This is why Jesus makes the distinction that IT BECOMES a tree, meaning IT CHANGES INTO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Had the Jews experienced mustard trees as an everyday normal occurrence, Christ would have more accurately stated, "but when it is grown it is the greatest of herbs, a tree…..," which He did not.

Furthermore, mustard trees don't exist. Coates' Enhanced Strong's Lexicon does not admit to the mustard plant BECOMING A TREE. It states "it attains to the height of a tree….." This is a vastly different statement than that of Jesus, who prophesies IT BECOMES A TREE. Please examine the Greek text.

Had Christ wished to show the growth and successful conversion of the world to Christianity, He would have been more on point by using the illustration of the growth of a mighty cedar tree from a tiny, inconspicuous seed. "Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath." (Amos 2:9). The magnificent height of the cedars was well known.

And most importantly, lest one neglects to weigh the significance of the "birds of the air which come and roost in the branches thereof" to reach an erroneous conclusion, we must examine the Parable in context of the birds making their nests in this tree.

One does not need be a horticulturist to understand that an herb is no tree. Not in 1^st century Israel nor 21^st century America.

Nor does one need be an ornithologist to understand that birds of the air do not roost in mustard plants.

Nor does one need be Thomas Aquinas to understand that birds of the air were defined by Jesus Christ as WICKED in verse 19.

Therefore, we must conclude that there will be a tremendous growth, worldwide, of FALSE CHRISTIANITY, the home of "devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." (Rev. 18:2). This magnificent malignant tumor is seen in that worldwide false Christian church, Mystery Babylon.

A side note: The readers are certainly aware that the graven images which grace Catholic churches worldwide are placed in settings called NICHES: "a recess or hollow in a wall, as for a statue, bust, or vase." (Webster). The root of "niche" is Latin, 'nidus,' meaning "NEST." (Webster).

Here we find another unlikely fulfillment of prophecy in the Roman Catholic Church, whose niches/nests are infinite. This is item 10, making our probability of finding 10 out of 10 matches in one church to be 1 in 10 billion.