Matthew 13:24-60
“The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 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? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 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.”
Here again we see how busy Satan is in seeking to mar the work of God in building up His kingdom. What Satan cannot hinder he will try to corrupt and spoil. We have our Lord’s explanation of the parable. He Himself is the Sower; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one, called here His” enemy.”
Thus, we get the distinct teaching that ungodly people are being associated with the kingdom by Satan, and are there so mingled with the saints, the “children of the kingdom,” that the instruction is to let both go on until the end of the age. Then the Son of man will send forth His angels and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity. These shall he cast into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
Along with the fact here revealed that there are” children of the wicked one” associated with the kingdom of heaven, it is important to see that the instruction to let all go on together has nothing to do with allowing evil or wicked persons to remain in an assembly. Here it is in the world, and concerning the great outward profession called” the kingdom of heaven.” There are other scriptures quite as distinct, showing that evil is not to be allowed in the assembly. For instance, when evil had been made manifest in the assembly at Corinth, the injunction is,” Put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” (Cor. v. 13.)
Another important point to see is that “the children of the wicked one” will continue in this connection until the end of the age, and at the last it will be God’s instruments who will purge out the evil. This at once shows how vain and delusive it is to expect that the world will be converted by the means of Missionary, Bible, Tract and other Societies, together with the preaching of the gospel. God’s messengers are sent, not to convert the world, but to” visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name” (Acts 15:1414Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. (Acts 15:14)), and then to instruct and edify the same when called out. Now surely it is very important to have God’s thoughts about what He is doing, so that our prayers and labors and expectations may be in unison and fellowship with the Lord Himself.
And this should in no way cool down our zeal. The gospel is to be preached fully and freely to every creature under heaven, and men are to be exhorted and invited with all the earnestness that the love of Christ and a love of souls can beget, praying men to be reconciled to God. (2 Cor. 5:1919To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:19).) Yea, with all the more zeal, because we know from the parables that Satan is busy, endeavoring to hinder the work, and it was while men slept that Satan accomplished his purpose.
Before leaving this parable it may be well to see that it does not clash with the Christiana hope of the coming of his Lord. The parable does say,” Gather ye together first the tares,” thus leaving the wheat; and some may not easily see how this agrees with the church being taken up first, leaving the wicked, according to the epistles to the Thessalonians.
The explanation, we doubt not, is, that here it is the kingdom that is under consideration, and not the church. We may be in both; but when we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air, according to 1 Thess. 4:15-1815For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15‑18), the kingdom will go on. And the end of the world, or age, is not till after the church is taken away. We know from scripture that there will be saints on the earth after the church is taken up. So that the order of events is
The taking up of the church.
The kingdom goes on, and others are brought into the kingdom.
The wicked are taken first at the end of the age.
God will establish His kingdom in righteousness.
Thus we see that this parable is concerning the kingdom of heaven, and not the church; that evil men will be in the kingdom to the end of the age- the direct work of Satan. They shall be eventually gathered out and sent into perdition.” Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” — a glorious portion surely, but not to be confounded with the glory that awaits those who will be caught up to meet their Lord in the air. May the Lord hasten it in His own time!