In Matthew 13:24-30, The Lord Jesus shares the parable of the Wheat and Tares.
Let’s start from vs 36:
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
37 He answered and said to them “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.
40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
In vs 41, He states: ‘The Son of Man will send out His angels and they will gather out of His kingdom ALL THINGS THAT OFFEND and those that practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.’
The end of the age is upon us. Angels have been dispatched to uproot the tares.
However, judgement must begin in the house of the Lord (1 Pet 4:17).
Just as one does not reap seedlings, the end of the age is the time of harvesting the mature Sons of God; It is the season where the mature Sons will be revealed. The rain of the Spirit we are experiencing is not just to grow the wheat in our hearts but also the tares. The Lord has allowed a lot to co-exist in our hearts undisturbed until now….but no more.
Angels have been dispatched to uproot mature tares.
Apparently wheat and tares are indistinguishable until maturity. At maturity, they are distinguished in two ways: wheat produce fruit while tares do not; secondly and consequently, wheat, as they mature, bow down (because of the weight of the fruit) while mature tares remain erect.
Expect a season of uprooting as a result of the rain: things which you thought you had overcome years ago but never really did (you just hid/filed away), will come to the surface again. Heart attitudes and behaviors that you co-existed comfortably with are about to be confronted vigorously. The Lord, through his angels, will position people around you that will help bring these things to the surface. The last remaining anchors to the world that we have held on to, that define us and we place our identity in are about to be pried loose. The true nature of our nakedness, blindness and poverty without him are about to be revealed to us.
As these happen, we must not fret; we must run to the cross, repent often and cry out for grace and mercy as we go through His cleansing fire. Your enemy is not your wife, husband, child, parent, boss, employee, pastor or congregant: look within your own heart.
The maturity of sonship will be demonstrated in this day by increasing fruitfulness that comes out of humility. Those who refuse to bow to the refining process of the Lord will become hardened in their ways and depart from the faith (1Timothy 4:1). Do not be surprised by seemingly sudden departures and twisted doctrines and behaviors from those who had once walked with us (1John 2:19).
The end of the Lord’s process is clear, Vs 43 tells us our end: “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father….”. The days of glory are here!
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!