Speaking of "parables," I agree with the quote by Ice, below (middle section of this post):
[quoting an old post of mine]
Mark 4:10-12 -
The Purpose of Jesus' Parables
(Matthew 13:10-17)
10 And when He was alone, those around Him with the Twelve began asking Him about the parable.
11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, everything is done in parables, 12 so that,
‘Seeing, they might see and not perceive;
and hearing, they might hear and not understand;
lest ever they should turn,
and they should be forgiven.’(a)”
[...]
33 And with many such parables He kept speaking the word to them, as they were able to hear, 34 and He would not speak to them without parables; but privately He would explain all things to His own disciples.
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[quoting Thomas Ice-]
"Five Parabolic Illustrations
"[re: Matt24] These parables or illustrations of Jesus are as follows: First, the fig tree illustration (24:32- 35); second, the days of Noah illustration (24:36- 39); third, a comparison of two men and women illustration (24:40- 41); fourth, the faithful house holder illustration (24:42- 44); and fifth, the wise servant illustration (24:45- 51).
"These five parables are important lessons that relate to Israel. In fact, I would go so far as to say that all the parables in the New Testament relate directly to Israel. Often they relate to Israel's rejection of Jesus as their Messiah and speak of consequences that will flow from such an act. Christ told His disciples in Matthew 13:10-17 that He would speak to "this people" (Israel) in order to blind them to the truth because of their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. However, believers could come to understand the meaning of His parables because we are receptive of the revelation offered by Christ. Therefore, they all relate to Israel in some way, shape, or form and usually tell us something about God's plan for the future.
"The parables within the Olivet Discourse, when they speak of a coming, all relate to the second coming and not the rapture of the church. This is true because the entire Olivet Discourse was given to Israel and relates to her tribulation and Christ's return at the end of that period. Truths relating to the rapture of the church are revealed exclusively in the New Testament Epistles, which were written specifically for the purpose of explaining the intent and nature of the Church age. [...]"
--Dr Thomas Ice [commentary on Matt24-25]
[end quoting Ice]
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[TDW] There is ONE PARABLE that was given "in this present age [singular]," during the time "the Church which is His body" exists on the earth [note: Eph1:20-23 WHEN], which I believe works for the same purposes/to the same end ("seeing, might see and not perceive; and hearing, they might hear and not understand")... and that is the "PARABLE" (which I mentioned earlier) referred to in Hebrews 9:8-9a, [quoted only in part, here]:
"By this the Holy Spirit was signifying that the way into the holy places has not yet been made manifest, the *first* tabernacle [the one in the wilderness, per the "furnishings" of v.4] still having A STANDING [G4714 - stasin/stasis]. which is A PARABLE for the present time..."
[...<snip>...]
[end quoting that old post]
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Again, I believe the phrase "the kingdom OF THE heavenS" (like, in 13:24 and context) refers to an earthly-located context/setting.
[the last of these being] The "net cast into the sea" (where the "good" are "gathered into vessels" and the "but cast the bad away") parallels Matthew 25:31-34 and context (Sheep and goats OF THE NATIONS[/Gentiles]-plural [/i.e. sea]), who are "separated" at the time of His Second Coming TO THE EARTH (not at "our Rapture"), for example.
The disciples' Q of Him in Matt24:3 [Olivet Discourse] was BASED ON what Jesus had ALREADY spoken to them about in Matt13:24,30,39,40,49-50... "the end [singular] of the age [singular]"... when the angels will "REAP"
