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A Man Planted a Field​

      "Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field. But while men slept, his enemy sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way." (Matthew 13:24, 25).

      After the servants realized their neglect they came to the owner and asked, "Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then have it tares?" (Verse 27). The Master told them an enemy had done it. They seemed anxious to uproot the weeds, but the wise owner told them to wait lest they accidentally pull up some good while trying to root out the bad. (Verses 28, 29). Then the owner added something further which is crucial to our understanding the subject. He said: "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." (Verse 30).

     The disciples later asked him what the parable meant. (Verses 36 - 40) give us the interpretation of the various parts of the parable. Christ Himself is the owner, or he who planted the good seed (verse 37), the field is the world, the good seed represents the righteous, and the tares represent the bad or unfaithful. (Verse 38). (Verse 40) tells us that the enemy is the Devil, the harvest the end of the world and the reapers are the angels.


The End of the World, What

Does That Mean?

The primary misunderstanding comes in with the interpretation of the phrase, "the harvest is the end of the world." (Verse 39). The term, "end of the world," seems to suggest the second coming when Christ will return to take his children home to glory. But in truth, the expression just means "the last days" or "latter days", or "the time of the end." Take for example, (Hebrews 9:24 -26). "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into 

heaven itself, now to appear in the 

presence of God for us. Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth 























into the holy place every year with the blood of others. For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world but now once in the end of the world hash he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." 

     Here the Bible tells us that Christ moved into the Most Holy Place in the end of the world. Now we know that this event took place in 1844, yet Paul referred to it prophetically as the "end of the world." Certainly this could not be the day when Christ will return in the clouds! Thus the phrase points to the "last days" or "the time of the end" (Daniel 12:4). It is similar to our saying that December is the

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