因着人的弃绝，属天的王就不用明言对他们说话，只用比喻，为了使国度对他们是隐密的。国度不揭示出来，对他们就成了奥秘。属天的王所作的，乃是应验豫言说，“我要开口用比喻。”（诗七八2。）祂这样作，就把创世以来所隐藏的事说出来。国度的子民乃是神在创世以前所拣选的，（弗一4，）但国度的奥秘是创世以来所隐藏的。这些隐藏的事就是关于国度的事。这些事由属天的王说出来，然而是用奥秘的方式说出来的，为要使这些事对人仍是隐密的。
在圣经里，七这数字是由六加一，三加四，或四加三组成的。启示录二、三章的七个教会是由三加四构成的。但马太十三章的七个比喻是由四加三构成的。前四个比喻是在船上露天说的。这四个比喻就是撒种者、稗子、芥菜种和面酵的比喻。后三个比喻是在屋里私下对门徒讲论的。前四个论到国度外表的比喻，是属天的王在船上公开对群众说的；后三个比喻，是祂在屋里私下对门徒讲的。这指明，后三个比喻所论到的事较为隐藏。
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The Kingdom’s Mysteries – Matt. 13:34-35
Because of the people’s rejection, the heavenly King spoke to them not in clear words, but in parables, in order to keep the kingdom secret from them. The unveiling of the kingdom became a mystery to them. What the heavenly King did was a fulfillment of the prophecy which said, “I will open my mouth in a parable” (Psa. 78:2). By doing so, he uttered things hidden from the foundation of the world. The kingdom people were chosen by God before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4), but the mysteries of the kingdom were hidden from the foundation of the world. The hidden things are the things concerning the kingdom. They are uttered by the heavenly King, but uttered in a mysterious way in order to make them still a secret from the people.
In the Bible the number seven is composed of six plus one, three plus four, or four plus three. The seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 are made up of three plus four. But the seven parables in Matthew 13 are made up of four plus three. The first four parables were given in the boat in the open air. These are the parables of the sower, the tares, the mustard seed and the leaven. The last three were given privately to the disciples in the house. The previous three parables concerning the outward appearance of the kingdom were spoken publicly by the heavenly King in the boat to the crowds, whereas the latter three parables were given privately in the house to the disciples. This indicates that the things covered by these three parables are more hidden.