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.