So shall it be in the end of this world
Jesus spoke a parable to the people regarding the kingdom of heaven, and in particular, the time of the end, when the harvest of God will take place before the consummation, or fulfillment of the kingdom of God.
Let’s read this parable.
Matthew 13:24-30
¶ Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Jesus communicated, and spoke, in parables to the people so that some would hear and understand, and some would hear, but not understand.
Matthew 13:34-35 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: 35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
Fortunately, we today, have a clearer understanding, because we have the Holy Bible as a testimony and recorded witness of what Jesus taught his disciples, as to the meaning of some parables.
Read what Jesus taught his disciples, who had not fully understood the parable.
Matthew 13:36-43
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. 37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 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. 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Jesus teaches a parable using a theme common to all in that time, pastural agriculture, a parable of the wheat and the tares.
If one studies the ‘tares,” one will find that the tares are weeds which look very close to wheat, known as Darnel seed, which looks almost exactly like wheat in the youthful stages of its growth. However, the Darnel seed weed differs from wheat in its appearance when in the full harvest time of the wheat is fulfilled making it easy to identify and remove the weeds from the wheat fields.
Jesus teaches his disciples that the field is the world, and God’s Son, Jesus, has sown seeds of wheat in the world, these are to become the children of God.
The Devil has also sown seed in the world, the tares; these are those who refuse or are not reached by the Son of God and his words and salvation, they are children of sin and iniquity.
Because God is longsuffering and patient, he lets both those in Christ Jesus and those of the Devil live in the world for a long period time until the time of the great harvest where God shall separate the two, the righteous of God, and the sinful of the Devil.
So shall it be in the end of this world, the righteous will be gathered and enter into the completed Kingdom of God in heaven, while the evil ones will be cast away into the lake of fire, or the “furnace” of “fire.”
It’s clear that the kingdom of God, is only for the righteous in Christ Jesus. There will be no sinners, or those who offend, present, for God cannot tolerate sin.
Jesus repeated this concept in another parable, this one using a fishermen’s net.
Matthew 13:47-51
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. 51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
Again, the end is the same; the righteous are gathered to God, while the unrighteous, sinners and evil ones, are destroyed in the lake of fire.
Jesus foretold of the time of the end of the world, when he will return to earth and gather the harvest.
Matthew 24:29-31
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 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.
Jesus speaks of a great gathering of God’s people, “his elect,” in the days of the end of the world.
The book of Revelation foretells this same gathering by the angels of God’s people in the last days.
Read Revelation 7:1-10.
Revelation 7:1-10
¶ And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. 5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. 7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. 8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. 9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Here we see in the time of the harvest, the gathering of God’s people, the children of God, the Israel of God, comprised of all nations and peoples and tongues from all over the world. It is a massive gathering of Israelites and strangers, all saved through faith in Christ Jesus, all baptized in the blood of the lamb.
One must be in Christ Jesus in order to be saved and gathered by God.
One must be changed by God through Christ Jesus to enter into God's kingdom in heaven.
1st Corinthians 15:50-57
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 ¶ Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Only the righteous through Christ Jesus shall inherit the kingdom and all things promised of God.
Revelation 21:6-8
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Clearly, the wicked and sinful ones shall be separated from the righteous, and be cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 22:12-15
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
1st Corinthians 6:9-11
¶ Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
“So shall it be in the end of this world.”
It’s clear there are only two paths; one, eternal life through faith in Jesus the Christ, or one by living in the world of the Devil and being a child of wickedness and sin.
Just as there are two paths, there are two final destinations; one for the righteous in Christ Jesus and one for the wicked of the Devil. There is no other destination. Only God and his kingdom of heaven or the Devil and his place in the fiery lake of fire.
2nd Corinthians 4:3-4
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
1st Thessalonians 5:9-10
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
Hebrews 9:27-28
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Which will you choose today?
Life everlasting with God or death, in everlasting hell fire?
Do you know Jesus?
John 3:16-21
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
2nd Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Have you repented of your sins?
Have you been washed in the blood of the lamb?
Will you be baptized for the remission of your sins?