Sunday, August 21, 2016

This is how it will be at the end of the age.

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

“This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:49-50

I had an uncle who was a minister. I remember asking him one time why God poured out His gifts on bad people as well as good people, why He “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:45b My uncle said if God gave His gifts to the righteous only, many people might try to be righteous just to receive God’s gifts. Their motives for serving Him would be wrong.

Another reason that God pours out His gifts on all people is because He is hoping that will bring some people into His Kingdom. He is giving them every chance to repent and accept Christ. He doesn’t want anyone to perish, so He patiently gives many opportunities for people to come to Him.

These thoughts should help us understand the parable of the weeds. The parable says that a man sowed good seed in his field. But while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds in the field with the wheat seeds. When the wheat came up, so did the weeds. If you have ever gardened, you will realize that this is a common occurrence.

People in Decatur, Alabama have been know to sow seeds in the shape of football game scores in the yards of their friends who support different teams.

The servants of the owner of the field came and asked him where the weeds came from since he had sown only good seed. The owner told them that an enemy had done this. The servants asked if they should go pull up the weeds. The owner told them no because they might pull up wheat along with the weeds. The owner told the servants to let the wheat and the weeds grow together until time for the harvest. Then he would instruct the harvesters to gather the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned. Then they were to gather the wheat and put it in the owner’s barn.

The disciples came to Jesus later and asked Him to explain the parable of the weeds. Jesus said that He is the One who sowed the good seed. The field represents the world, and the good seed stands for those who become God’s children. The weeds are children of Satan, sown by him. The angels will be the harvesters. They will weed out of God’s kingdom all who do evil and everything that causes sin. Then the weeds will be burned in a fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. But the righteous will enter God’s Kingdom.

There is a parallel parable. A net was let down into a lake, and all kinds of fish were caught in it. The fishermen pulled the net to shore, sat down, and separated the fish. They collected the good fish in baskets, but they threw the bad fish away. Again, the angels will separate the righteous from the unrighteous.

We should be sufficiently warned to make certain our destination will be heaven for eternity, and, hopefully, we will do all we can to help as many people as possible enter God’s place of glory and reward as well.

Father, once we know we are secure in Christ Jesus, may we be used of You to help others, and especially those we love the most, become secure in Him as well. Amen.

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