Matthew 13:36-40

Mat 13:36 (KJB)
Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went back into the house where He was staying in Capernaum. Then the disciples came to Him and asked if He would give them the explanation of the parable of the tares of the field. They were probably set back a little realizing that there would be a long period of time between the first coming of Christ and His return on the last day.

Mat 13:37 (KJB)
He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

Jesus then declares to them the meaning of the parable. He begins by telling them plainly that the one who sowed the good seed is the Son of man. This is in contrast to the bad seed which the Pharisees and Sadducees were preaching whereby a person could never become saved because they were constantly adding to the requirements for keeping their law. The good seed had the promise of salvation and the teachings of eternal life. (John 6:68 KJV) Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. The teaching of the Pharisees offered no hope to anyone but the good seed or the Gospel, was hope. (Dan 7:14 KJV) And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. The Kingdom which the saved people entered would be a Kingdom that would never pass away but would be eternal.

Mat 13:38 (KJB)
The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

The whole world was represented by the field. Then Jesus proceeds to tell them that there are only two types of people in the world. The good seed are those who have become saved in Christ and are children of the kingdom of God. The tares are the unsaved who oppose the saved every chance they get. These are the children of Satan who will do what they can to stop the growth of the Kingdom of God on earth. (John 17:16 KJV) They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. The true believers are in the world but are not of the world because they have been redeemed.

Mat 13:39 (KJB)
The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

Here Jesus refers to exactly what the Devil is and that is the enemy. It is also important to note that those who are in Satan’s kingdom are also the enemy of Christians. Whenever some Christians want to do something, it always seems Satan plants one of his to try and stop them. We can see this happening in many schools when some Christians want to have a Bible study or put up a John 3:16 banner at a high school game, then right away Satan plants one of his “offended” ones who does what they can to stop the Christians. The second part of this verse is a stumbling block to those who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture and literal thousand year reign of Christ. Here Jesus is stating very plainly that the harvest is the end of the world, not seven years before the end, or one thousand seven years before the end, but the end. Then the second stumbling block to the pre-tribulation view is the fact that the reapers will reap the world of all believers. (Mat 24:31 KJV) And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. If you notice in Matthew 24:31, that there will be a clean sweep of all believers from earth as they are gathered to be brought to Heaven. There are not going to be any left behind to oppose some mythical antichrist. The end has come and this verse means exactly what it says, “the end of the world.”

Mat 13:40 (KJB)
As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

On the last day, just as the tares were burned and the wheat was gathered into the barn of the owner, so shall it be on the last day. The believers will be garnered into Heaven and the unbelievers, the spiritual tares, will stand for judgment at the Great White Throne Judgment. (Mat 25:31-32 KJV) When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: {32} And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: Then will come the great separation. Just as one winnows wheat to separate the wheat from the tares, the great winnowing of the population of earth will take place on the last day. Wheat to the Master’s barn and tares to be burned up.

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