24Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27So 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?
28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30Let 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 defines his kingdom as operating not only at the same time in history but in the same place where and when the enemy is active.
It doesnt matter whether you like it or not or if it fails something you heard in Sunday School class.
The kingdom of God grows along side the working efforts of the enemy until the end of history.
The Kingdom of God is inaugurated in history and expands gradually over time , directly opposite any sort of royal fiat
Greetings,
Here is the prophetic answer to the parable:
Also scriptures that confirm the gathering of the saints, the new body and the judgement of His.
"Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for you to rep, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped."
"Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not soon be shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one decieve you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God"
"But you, brethren are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief."
"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ, will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them, in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."
"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the gaurentee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."
"For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to ne unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a gaurentee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may recieve the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences."
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For :He has put all things under His feet." But when He says "all things are put under Him," then it is evident that He who put all things under Him is accepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all."
"The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the ehavenly Man."
"Now this I say. brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery" We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
"Odeath, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"
The sting of death is sin, and the strentgh of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."
"And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgement was commited to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for thier witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not recieved his mark on their foreheads or thier hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first ressurection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first ressurection. Over which the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years."
Here is the reaping of the grapes at His coming
"Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe." So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wraith of God. And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses' birdles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs."
"But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished"
The last battle and the judgement of the dead, those who are bundled for the fire.
"Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to decieve the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who decieved them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."
"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and book were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to thier works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to His works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the fire."
