Text: Matthew 13:38-42
"38 The field is the world; the good seed are
the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked
one;
39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil;
the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
40 As therefore the tares are gathered
and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
41 The Son of man shall send forth his
angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend,
and them which do iniquity;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of
fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
This parable talks about several important matters. One is that both the wheat and the tares can not be distingushed until the end of the world. For example, if this parable were to say that wheat stands for true Christian and tares stand for the group known as the Jehovah's Witnesses, they would be distinguishable now, and so this can't be so for they are presently indistinguishable according to this parable. Instead, the scripture says these will be distingushed at the end of the world. Why do we have to wait until the end of the world to distinguish these? I think this may have to do with the tribulation at the end of the world.
For example, there are two students. If the teacher is not sure which student has more knowledge, he should give an exam. After the examination, the teacher will know and there will be a clear distinction. Likewise, there will be a type of test or examination at the end of the world. Through this test, there will be a clear distinction made between the wheat and tares. Concerning the tribulation, please check with the scriptures below:
Revelation 3:10 "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."
Another important matter is that the tares will be burnt by fire at the end of the world. "Burnt" is a severe word, but there is a possibility that it may literally happen. Why? Because in Matthew chapter 13, there is a similar parable. This is the parable of the good fish and the bad fish. In this parable, it says "cast them into the furnace of fire". That is to say, the same expression is repeated twice in the same chapter. I suppose God is trying to make an emphasis of this truth.
Matthew 13:47 -50
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like
unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
48 Which, when it was full, they drew to
shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad
away.
49 So shall it be at the end of the world:
the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
50 And shall cast them into the furnace
of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
By the way, I have a question about these scriptures. Does this action of "cast them into the furnace of fire" happen in this present world? Or it will happen in the world to come after death? Concerning this question, the scripture answers at "the end of this world." The scripture is clearly talking about the time at the end of this age in this world.
Concerning "burnt with fire," there are some other descriptions of this in the Bible.
Matthew 3:12 "Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
Revelation 17:16 "And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire."
I think the above expressions are dealing with the tares' judgment in different ways. Wheat or fish signify Christians. Both the tares and the bad fish live with Christians. So, they can't be unbelievers. They also are Christians, but they commit sin. And the phrase "cast them into the furnace of fire" indicates the judgment executed on God's house, the church, at the end of the world. This is as per the scriptures written in the epistle of Peter. He says "a righteous man scarcely receives salvation."
Let's do the Lord's will in this end time.
end.