I Cited Isaiah 54: 17 To The Lord In Prayer

Over the past few days I have had a hard battle with the effects of the Covid virus. I am hoping I am over the hump and on the down side. Thanks for any and all's prayers. My wife and brother are also over the hump I believe. Keep up the prayers.

In the midst of my burning fever and bodily pain I said "Lord you said that no weapon that is formed against the servants of God will prosper" (citing the text below). I said, "Lord, you know that this virus is a weapon of our enemies (Communist China) and designed to kill us because they hate us as your servants. So, why is it killing even your people in light of what you seem to have promised in the text?"

The text reads as follows:

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." (Isa. 54: 17 KJV)

I also said to the Lord: "Lord, you know that China and other enemies of our country and the Christian community, have other weapons formed in order to harm us, especially in the time of the great tribulation, and Lord, we will not be able to survive it unless your word above becomes true for us at that time." 

But, I have cognitive dissonance, and a trial of faith, regarding the meaning of the text and wherein it applies or does not apply. That dissonance arises from the fact that what the text affirms does not seem to reflect reality. In other words, many of God's servants have been harmed or killed by weapons. So, I looked for other possible explanations. I first considered that maybe by "servants of the LORD" were meant, not every servant, but the prophets. I thought of that text which reads as follows:

"14 He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes; 15 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm." (Psa. 105: 14-16)

Though this text seems to apply the promise to those who are anointed and who are prophets, yet verses preceding and in the context seem to apply it to all servants of Yahweh. So we read of the evils of Jezebel, and the dissonance it (and other such instances) creates: 

"While Jezebel was killing off the LORD's prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water." (I Kings 18: 4 NIV)

So, in one case, God kept his servants from all harm, and yet in other cases, he suffered them to be murdered. So, does it or does it not apply to all God's servants? 

Yes, I am reading some of the commentaries, but none yet have offered a lot of help. Anybody want to help rid me of the dissonance? 

More Prayer Requests

My wife and I have tested positive for Covid. She has only been off the ventilator for less than two weeks and is not what she needed at this time. However, her symptoms seem to be less than mine. I have had a rough time of it. So, I covet prayers that God will heal us. My brother Joe who lives with us also has symptoms.  

Beliefs about the Afterlife (xxxxiii)

Who will enter the Millennium? What will be the state, human abilities and character of those who do? What will the varied citizenry of that age do? What groups will there be? What kind of government will be in existence? Will it be a one world government under Christ? Will there be nations with their own leaders? Will there be cities and towns? How will people, both mortal and immortal, live from day to day? Will there still be work, recreation, fun and games, etc.? Will there be a legal and criminal justice system? An economic system? A social system? An education system? A religious and philosophical system? A health system? 

How will criminals be dealt with? How will children be deterred from following baser emotions? How will social problems be dealt with? How will human nature be deterred from doing evil? 

Many of these questions we have already addressed, in whole or in part. We have seen how the prophecies of "new heavens and earth" in Isaiah's prophecies are fulfilled in the thousand years of the reign of the risen and glorified Christ, with his people, and the apostles, on the present earth. As stated previously, there is a kind of "double exposure" of the pictures of the new heavens and earth by Isaiah versus that pictured by either John or Peter. 

There are two major parts of "the age" (aion) or "the world" (cosmos) that is destined "to come" in the thousand year reign of Christ in new heavens and earth. One concerns the changes that will occur to the environment and the other to the changes in the human race or to the social world. We have seen how the prophecies of that world speak of both categories of transformation. 

In what ways will life on earth be different than now? In answering that question, it is good to first ask - "In what ways was life different before the flood of Noah compared with afterwards or now?" 

Three Worlds & Ages

There are three worlds, or ages, focused upon in the scriptures. The first is the age of the world from Eden to Noah and the flood. The second is the age of the world from the flood till the coming millennial reign of Christ. Peter speaks of the first saying "the world that then was being overflowed with water perished" (II Peter 3: 6-7). Paul speaks of the second saying that the Lord has "delivered us from this present evil age" (Gal. 1: 4). He also spoke of "the world to come" (Heb. 2: 5; 6: 5; etc.). 

Life before the flood found men working in various fields, such as in farming and agriculture, in mining for ore and in making metals, in making musical instruments, and such like. (Gen. 4: 20-22) They had families, married and were given in marriage just as people after the flood. (Matt. 24: 37-39) They were more alike than different. However, the antediluvian age saw people living to near a thousand years, and to have, therefore, extremely large families and clans. Yet, after the flood, the lifespan of people greatly diminished. The heavens and earth were dramatically changed. 

It too seems that the pre-flood world was psychic, a time when people were able to have contact with angels and with the spirit world, and who lusted after magic and mystery. This is well described in the Book of Enoch. There were less boundaries between the physical world and the spirit world.

They also became very licentious, violent, lawless, diabolical, and so much so that God destroyed them all except for a few, a remnant who would be the seed and foundation of a new human race and a new world. (Gen. 6: 1-8) 

There is also little doubt among many bible teachers that the world before the flood was different as respects the heavens (atmosphere) and the earth (or land and water). Things were much larger and fruitful in the earth and in the atmosphere of the antediluvian age. Animals were gargantuan, as woolly mammoths, megaladon, etc., demonstrate. Even humans were much bigger and stronger in that primitive age. 

In that age, human females, through intercourse with fallen angels, produced a hybrid race of giants, or monsters, and these fallen angels and their offspring taught many magical and metaphysical ideas. This also is described in the Book of Enoch. This was the age of beginnings and inventions. It was not primitive in the sense of irrational cavemen, for evidence exists which shows that they were fast learners, knowledgeable and wise. The oldest inhabitants of that age, going back to Adam and the first family, were skilled astronomers and mathematicians, and mapped the constellations, naming them and their leading stars (by which they communicated a great understanding of the story of redemption or of the gospel), and building great buildings from mammoth stones, cutting them more finely than can be done today, and lifting and moving them with little difficulty, with a power and tools with which we know nothing. 

That age and that world, however, God saw fit to destroy and replace it with another. We are living in the age after the flood. It is true, however, that the antediluvian age, like the present age, may be subdivided into smaller units of time, into smaller ages and dispensations. So, many Dispensationalists see seven dispensations. The bible writers also divided up history, especially Israel's history, into smaller segments. Paul spoke of the time "from Adam to Moses" (Rom. 5: 14). So Luke wrote: 

"So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations." (Luke 1: 17) 

We also speak of the time before Christ and the time after Christ. Still, the bible recognizes the time before the flood as a different age and cosmos than we have now; And it affirms that the thousand years of the reign of Christ, yet to come, is different from the ages that preceded it. In all three ages we see how some things are the same and some things different. Paul, as we observed in an earlier chapter, spoke of "the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints." (Col. 1: 26) Here Paul sees more than one "age" (aion) as having preceded the age in which he lived and wrote. 

One of the hardest questions to consider is how a human race can exist where sin and evil calamities are not possible. Some believe it is not possible because the divine gift of "free will" makes sin not only possible, but in many cases makes it highly probable, if not certain. Since humans will always have free will, they may at any time choose to rebel against God and eternal life be taken away. With every person having freedom to sin, a world where no one sins is an impossibility. 

 Wrote C.S. Lewis in "The Case for Christianity" (As cited here - emphasis mine):

"Some people think they can imagine a creature which was free but had no possibility of going wrong, but I can't. If a thing is free to be good it's also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will?" 

"Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having." 

With creatures forever having freedom to sin, then it seems that no one is unconditionally guaranteed to be kept from sinning, the being kept from sinning being a violation of man's free will, which being given by God, must be respected by God and not interfered with. 

Pelagius, the British monk, of the fourth and fifth centuries, and one who promoted "Pelagianism," taught that death was not the result of sin, but natural, and that Adam and Eve probably would have died even if they had never sinned. His views are expressed by this author who wrote (emphasis mine):

"Because he was a creature, Adam's body was mortal. That is to say, it was Adam's destiny to die physically whether or not he ever sinned. Physical death, therefore, is not a penalty for sin passed on to Adam's posterity, but is rather an inevitable corollary to man's essential character as created." (As cited here)

But, this contradicts so many direct statements of scripture. Romans chapter five teaches that death, physical, spiritual, and moral, results from sin. Paul speaks of "death by sin" and affirmed that "death passed upon all men for all have sinned" (vs. 12). He also makes this summary statement in chapter six: "for the wages of sin is death." (vs. 23) Death is not natural then. So, had Adam and Eve never sinned, would they have died? If not by disease, why not by being killed by an accident, or by a wild animal, or by some other calamity? Further, in the ages to come, will those who inherit the new heavens and earth possibly die by accidental death? How will such be prevented? How would God have prevented Adam and Eve and their sinless offspring from dying by accident? 

We know that angels were employed to prevent, if necessary, any accidental death coming to the sinless Christ. Recall these words of the Devil to Christ in his temptation by him in the desert:

"5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." (Matt. 4: 5-7 kjv)

Imagine that this is the case with Adam and his descendants (in a world where sin had not yet occurred). I can see why death by earthquakes and tornadoes would be non existent, for the providence of God would not allow such to occur. But, what would keep a person from dying by a fall? Would each person be saved by angels? If yes, then what would prevent people from tempting God by flirting with death? If I am a rock climber, would I fall on purpose just to see angels catch me? 

Another hard question to answer is this: "if Christ and Christians were now put in charge of the world, what would they do to make it a perfect world?" Or, "how would the world had been different had Adam and Eve not sinned and brought a curse to the race and to the world?" 

Today there is talk about how many Christians want to make America into a Christian theocracy. The Postmillennialists also believe that they will, by the preaching of the word of God and the gospel, and by taking over all governmental, social, and business leadership positions, bring in a time of global peace and prosperity under the rule of the saints, all before Christ comes again. So, what prescription for a perfect society do we as bible believers put forth? Or, in other words, how will Christ make the world free of social problems? Or, another question is whether a utopia and immortality are even possibilities. 

In the next chapter, we will continue this line of thought.

Covet Prayers For My Wife

My wife, Paulette, is now in the hospital with COPD and on a ventilator because she has too much CO2 in her blood. The doctors are hoping they can get her in ICU (they are full now) and at some point wean her off ventilator (once they think her body has adjusted to a new and different level of CO2 in the blood). I do covet your prayers for her. We have been married 38 years and she is my best friend and soul mate. I have talked to her about when this time will come and that my prayers are that each of us (and that of our loved ones) is taken quickly by the angels and not have to struggle a long time suffocating or in pain. We have also talked about how we both may be able to leave in death before the great tribulation begins but feared for our children and grandchildren, especially those who do not know the Lord.

Thanks brothers.  

Gather First The Tares (conclusion)

"13 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. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 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. 16 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. 17 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. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words." (I Thess. 4: 13-18 nkjv)

This being "caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" is what is called "the rapture." No one disagrees on what it is, all affirming that it is the catching away of those believers who have not died at the time when Christ appears in the clouds of the air. The disagreement comes over when the rapture occurs in relation to other things, such as the second coming, the resurrection and judgment of the living and dead, and especially of "the great tribulation" spoken of by Christ in the gospels and by Christ in the Book of Revelation. Does the rapture occur before the great tribulation and before the day of wrath? Or during it? Or after it? 

Further, in the text the meeting place is the lower atmosphere, the place where are the clouds; And the Greek word for "air" being "aer" and not "ouranos," meaning the atmosphere where birds fly, clouds roam, where are the peaks of the mountains, where dust is blown in winds, etc. It is not the extreme outermost sphere, nor outer space.

Further, the Greek word for "meet" shows that it means greet, as one who greets someone who is coming to his house at some point before he comes all the way so that he can escort him back the remaining way. The text also says that this rapture of living believers occurs in conjunction with the 1) resurrection of the bodies of all the righteous dead, and the 2) descent of the spirits of the righteous dead from heaven (so as to unite with their ascending bodies in the clouds and then experience glorification, the transformation of their bodies suited for immortality and eternal life, and equipping, etc.)

Notice that the rapture takes away all the saved people on earth and this leaves only unsaved people on earth. Further, it seems that the ones who are "left" on earth are the unsaved. Yet, other scriptures seem to say that it is the wicked who are taken away in the final judgment, thus leaving only the righteous on earth. So, how can both these be true? Who is taken away and who is left on earth? Before addressing that question, let us list some of the leading passages dealing with the rapture and resurrection gathering of believers when Christ appears in the clouds of the sky. 

Texts on the Rapture Gathering

"...but gather the wheat into my barn." (Matt. 13: 30)

We have been discussing that text at length. We have also looked at this text:

"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand." (II Thess. 2: 1-2 kjv)

Other verses that also speak of the same harvest, and let us begin with this text from the Psalmist:

"Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah." (Psa. 50: 3-6)

Of course, each time a righteous person dies he is "gathered unto his people" (Gen. 25: 8; Etc.) But, this is a gathering of disembodied spirits in heaven by death that has been going on every day since the beginning of the human race, and is not the gathering (rapture) of the end time harvest of all living believers that occurs when Christ returns. 

Christ spoke of the rapture as occurring when he returns, saying:

"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. 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." (Matt. 24: 30-31)

"And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad." (John 11: 49-52)

Paul also wrote of it when he writes:

"That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him." (Eph. 1: 10)

Is This The Rapture?

"And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left." (Luke 17: 26-36 KJV)

"But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left." (Matt. 24: 37-41) 

Though these verses are often cited as dealing with the rapture and showing that it is the righteous who are taken away and the unrighteous who are left on earth, they show just the opposite. The ones who were "taken away" by the flood were the wicked and the ones left were the eight righteous souls of Noah and his family. 

On the other hand, some make the argument that the text says that Lot went out of Sodom before the destruction fell upon the wicked and so say that this is what happens when Christ returns, i.e. the righteous go out of the world and then comes the great tribulation or day of wrath. 

Again, the main idea is one of separation of those living on earth when Christ comes. Further, there is judgment and destruction for the wicked both before Christ's appearance in the clouds and the rapture of the saints and also afterward. The final destruction of the wicked occurs when Christ descends with his saints from the clouds of heaven. Recall too these words:

"For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it; But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it." (Prov. 2: 21-22 nkjv) 

So, many of the wicked will be taken away by the judgments of the Apocalypse before the righteous are raptured, but the rest when Christ descends with his people and with the angels. 

Gather First The Tares (ii)

Barnes in his commentary says this about the above text:

"Gather not my soul with sinners - Margin, "take not away." The word rendered "gather," means properly to "collect;" to "gather," as fruits, Exodus 23:10; ears of grain, Ruth 2:7; money, 2 Kings 22:4. There is the idea of assembling together, or collecting; and the meaning here is, that he desired not to be united with wicked people, or to be regarded as one of their number." 

The Psalmist understood that there would be a complete separation of the righteous and the wicked when each are "gathered" in the end time harvest. He did not want to be gathered with the unbelievers, with the ungodly, with the impenitent, i.e. with the chaff or weeds. In this second chapter in this short series we will further consider both the end time gathering of living saints, via the rapture, and the end time gathering of living sinners. 

In the previous posting we saw that the children of God will be separated from the children of the devil at the end of the present age. We saw that this separation involves those who are alive on earth when Christ comes again and did not involve the separation of the dead. 

There is a "gathering," or a "reaping" or "harvesting" of both the wheat and the tares and the gathering of the tares would be first on the list of things the harvest angels would be ordered to do. The gathering of the wheat is fulfilled when the instantaneous transformation of the bodies of saints occurs in the rapture. The gathering of the tares, or children of the wicked one, occurs prior to the gathering of the wheat and their gathering involves their having been either cut down or pulled up. Following that, the tares are put into bundles for later burning.

If this is correct, and I believe it is, then how and when will the living and growing tares (who are unsaved unbelievers) be 1) gathered together? and 2) tied together in bundles? Also, how long will it take to complete this winnowing and purging of humanity? 

We cannot say that the tares (unbelievers who are alive at the end of the age and who are on earth during the harvest) are gathered in the same way as are believers, i.e., through a catching away to the heavens. Surely the gathering of the wicked involves their being cut down or rooted up and which effects their loss of life and permanent destruction, the very kind that we see in chapters six through twenty of the Book of Revelation (all which deals with what occurs when Christ is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels). This cutting down of the wicked, and gathering and bundling them together, occurs over the several years spanning the Apocalypse, with the final gathering of the wicked and their destruction and burning occurring at the final battle of Armageddon (Rev. chapters 16 & 19 as we will see). 

It is interesting how the book of Revelation speaks of several end time gatherings of the wicked, which may well be the bundling of the tares (children of the wicked one) described in the parable. Further, if the gathering of the wheat in the rapture occurs in Revelation chapter nineteen, as surely seems to be the case, then we ought to find somewhere in previous chapters of Revelation where and when the harvesting and gathering of the tares occurs.

So, let us notice first this text from the Apocalypse and an end time large scale gathering of the wicked:

"12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." (Rev. 16: 12-16 kjv)

Is this one of the bundles of tares gathered together by the will and providence of God for their destruction? I believe so. In fact, as we will see, the more we near the "end of the age" and begin to experience the things connected with the return of Christ in the Book of Revelation, the more we see the wicked band together as never before (under the leadership of the Devil and his son the Antichrist). 

There will be numerous gatherings of the wicked (bundles) when Christ returns in judgment upon the wicked. There will also be movement upon living believers at the end of the age to also gather together in groups or bundles for safety and for holiness. But, it is upon the end time gatherings of the wicked that we are focusing now. 

In the above text it is not the angels of God who do the gathering, as in the parable of the tares, but it is "three unclean spirits like frogs" or "the spirits of demons" who do the gathering. However, in response we say that both holy angels and demons may be said to do the gathering. The gathering of the demonic spirits results from God's unleashing them for that purpose. It is a judgment of God for them to become prey of demons and so gathered together in bundles to be destroyed. We see this same thing in the story of Job's afflictions. Satan brought his ills upon him but Job ascribed all to God saying "the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord" and said to his wife "shall we receive good at the hand of God and not evil also?" (Job 2: 10, 21) God may be said to cause Job's calamities because it required the willing permission of God for Satan to be able to do those calamities. In fact, all the awful calamities in the Book of Revelation are ordained of God for the punishment of the wicked who refused faith and repentance, and he employs evil spirits and hellish creatures to effect that punishment.  

Notice also that the text says that "the kings of the earth and of the whole world" are gathered, which is indeed a large gathering or bundle of tares. Recall that Christ said "the field is the world" and here we see an end time gathering of the wicked "of the whole world." And, why gather them together in bundles? To burn them in the fire, i.e. in order to destroy them or get rid of them.

"11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He [e]had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in [f]fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a [g]sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." (Rev. 19: 11-16 nkjv)

I believe this is the battle of Armageddon mentioned by way of anticipation in chapter sixteen. In chapter sixteen the gathering of the wicked, both rulers and armies, commences in a place in Israel called Armageddon and the destruction of them occurs in chapter nineteen which represents what Christ will do when he descends from the clouds and stands upon the earth. In other words, the weeds are gathered in chapter sixteen but they are burned in chapter nineteen. 

Notice that it is a scene where and a time when all the impenitent wicked on earth (who have aligned themselves with Antichrist and Satan) will be destroyed in the manner described. Further, it cannot be doubted that the raptured saints are with Christ in the heavens when the "armies of heaven" gather in the clouds of heaven. It is when these words of the Psalmist will be fulfilled: 

"5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. 6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; 7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord." (Psa. 149: 5-9 kjv)

Both saints and angels will have roles to play in the various activities connected with Christ's return and the establishment of the Millennial age and kingdom. Saints, as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, will join the "armies of heaven," perhaps being an army distinct from the armies of angels; Christian soldiers. 

Further, this scene in Revelation chapter nineteen is when Christ smites the nations with a rod of iron. That being so, the saints must be present with Christ at that time for they also will be involved in this smiting of the nations for so the record is:

“And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’[fn]— as I also have received from My Father." (Rev. 2: 26-27 nkjv)

So, as Christ smites the nations completely in Revelation chapter nineteen it is highly probable that the saints descend with him from the clouds, upon their own white horses and chariots, with heaven's weapons. 

Further, notice how the scene in Revelation nineteen has Christ with a robe "dipped in blood." This is the blood of the wicked who the Lord will slaughter when he returns. Again, obviously, this slaughter only involves those who are alive when Christ engages the wicked in this final battle. This slaughter of the wicked is spoken of by the prophets of old. For instance, Isaiah wrote:

"Who is this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength?— “I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.” (Isa. 63: 1-4 nkjv)

Also, the Psalmist spoke of this end time bloody destruction of the wicked, how they are cut down by the Redeemer and Avenger, the Lord Jesus Christ at the appointed time. 

"But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses. The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea: That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same." (Psa. 68: 21-22)

So, again, it is Christ, along with the saved of all the ages, who descend from the clouds and smite the nations, slaughter and uproot the wicked rebels and to no doubt protect those few meek and humble people who hid themselves from the Antichrist and helped Christians and Jews (the sheep peoples), albeit without becoming believers of Christ up to that time (much like when Rahab helped the Israelite spies). The saints will have the blood of the enemies of God and of Christ upon their garments in that day as does Christ their Commander. As Psalm 149 says, the saints will "execute vengeance and punishments" and "execute the judgment written" upon the wicked at the end of the age, and will act as military police in binding and chaining the leaders in the rebellion at the end of the age.

"17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the [h]supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, [i]free and slave, both small and great.” 19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh." (Rev. 19: 17-21)

Not only does the first part of chapter nineteen speak of the gathering and destruction of the wicked by Christ, by his people, and by the angels, but the latter verses (above) do so more directly. There is also not only a gathering of those who have embraced Antichrist (the beast), and a destruction of them, but also a gathering of the vultures to eat the dead flesh of the wicked in that final day. These wicked ones, these tares, these children of the wicked one, will be "gathered together" to make war against the Lord, but they are nothing but a bundle of weeds readied for either burning in the dump or for the vultures to eat.

This invitation given to the vultures to come eat the flesh and blood of the ones slaughtered by the Lord, to partake of this "supper," is referred to in this oracle of the Lord Jesus Christ, in my view:

"26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together." (Matt. 24: 26-28)

It is believed by many that in the days of Christ most cities had a common garbage dump called "Gehenna" and into this place dead animal carcasses were thrown and where a constant fire was burning and devouring the combustible things in it. This became a picture of "the lake of fire and brimstone" and which is "the second death." (Rev. 20: 14) It was also described by Christ as a place "where the worm dies not nor the fire is quenched." (Mark 9: 48)  So, what happens to the wicked at the second coming of Christ with his saints and with the holy angels? Their bodies are thrown in the dump to be eaten by vultures or burned in the fires. 

"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 reap, 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. 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 wrath of God. And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs." (Rev. 14: 14-20 nkjv)

Again, we see a description of the end time gathering of the tares and of their separation from the wheat and their being rooted out of the new heavens and earth of the Millennium. What is described above is what will occur as part of the coming Apocalypse and appearing of Christ Jesus the Lord and King and part of that end time harvest of the wicked. 

Now let us look at some old testament prophecies of the end time gathering into bundles the wicked who will be thus bundled for destruction.

“Therefore wait for Me,” says the LORD, “Until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations To My assembly of kingdoms, To pour on them My indignation, All My fierce anger; All the earth shall be devoured With the fire of My jealousy." (Zeph. 3: 8 nkjv)

That is just what we see in the book of Revelation. The nations are being gathered together so that they may be destroyed by the fire of God's wrath.

"Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth." (Micah 4: 11-13)

That is a description of the end time gatherings of the wicked generation who will be gathered for destruction and separation from the earth and the righteous who will be left to inherit it.

"Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more." (Joel 3: 11-17)

This is another prophecy of the end time gathering of the tares. Like the other texts of similar focus it occurs as part of the day of wrath and vengeance, in a day of slaughter, in the day when the Lord separates those who he finds alive on earth when he comes. 

I will post one short concluding article for this series and then work to finish my long series on the afterlife (which is now dealing with these same eschatological questions).

Gather First The Tares

"Let both grow together until the harvest, 

and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, 

“First gather together the tares 

and bind them in bundles to burn them, 

but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ” 

(Matthew 13: 30 NKJV)

There is to be a harvest of both the wheat and the tares (weeds), said the Lord in the above parable, and he said in his explanation of the parable, that the harvest occurs "at the end of the age." (Vs. 40)

"Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 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, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (40-42 nkjv)

This harvest is intended to separate out the godly from the ungodly prior to the Millennium so that the wheat only remain to be gathered into barn (or the place where harvested wheat goes). But, who is gathered first? And, is this gathering of wheat and tares a gathering of the dead wheat and tares? Or, only a gathering of the living, either of living believers or living unbelievers? In other words, does this gathering or harvest imply a resurrection? Is the gathering and harvesting of the wheat connected with the resurrection of the bodies of dead believers and the rapture and the transformation of living believers? 

According to Revelation chapter twenty, the resurrection of the righteous takes place a thousand years before the resurrection of the unrighteous. But, if the gathering or harvest of the parable includes the physical resurrection of both wheat and tares, then it seems either that the resurrection of the unjust occurs at or even before that of the just, for the command is specific and direct to the reaping angels - "gather first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them." So, how do we explain this seeming conundrum? 

There are several reasons why the division of wheat from weeds in the field of this world and age does not comprehend a separation of the righteous and unrighteous who have died. 

First, the dead, saved or unsaved, as disembodied spirits, are already separated in death and have lost all interaction and commingling with each other when they die, with the saved going to heaven in the intermediate state and the unsaved going to Hades in the same interim state. So, it cannot be that the harvest of people "at the end of the age" is for that purpose. 

Second, the weeds and the wheat are viewed in the parable as growing on earth at the end of the age when Christ returns and sends forth the angels to reap. It is living wheat and tares that are separated and not dead wheat or weeds. So, the division of wheat and weeds is teaching the same thing as the division of sheep peoples from goat peoples as we saw from Matthew chapter twenty five. 

Third, the souls of the wicked dead (representing tares) are not bundled together in bundles by angels when they die. 

Fourth, it is not true that all of the unsaved are gathered together in death before righteous people are gathered in death, for each day throughout the age this separation goes on with some from each group dying, and yet the text says all are harvested "at the end of the age," that is, all at the same time.

It is clear then that the harvest is a harvest of living peoples at the end of the age and that the gathering of the tares will be first, preceding the gathering of the wheat. These two facts are not easy for many to understand or reconcile with their ideas about the end time. 

Many believe that the resurrection of the righteous dead and the instant transformation of living saints via their rapture into the sky to meet the Lord occurs 1) before the great tribulation and day of destruction (generally believed to be seven years and described in the book of Revelation), and 2) before the harvest of the tares in that seven years and destroyed at its end. But, when Jesus says that the angels will "first gather" the tares and bind them in bundles he overthrows that order of things. Thus, the words "gather first the tares" is the death knell for the view that the rapture of believers occurs before the day of trial and great tribulation. Their view would have Christ rather saying "gather first the wheat." 

Wrote Dr. John Walvoord (See here):

"In a word, Matthew 13 does not discuss the doctrine of the rapture at all, and there is absolutely nothing in this passage which would contradict the pretribulational view." (POSTTRIBULATIONISM TODAY; 7. Do the Gospels Reveal a Posttribulational Rapture?)

This is one of the errors of Walvoord and other Dispensationalists. They handle the problem which the words "gather first the tares" gives for their view (that the wheat will be gathered first before the tribulation, judgment, and destruction of the tares) by saying that the parable of the wheat and tares says nothing about the rapture, as does Walvoord above. But, that is simply not the case. The rapture of living believers to meet the Lord in the clouds of heaven is a harvest of them. This is, however, what Walvoord and other such Dispensationalists must deny or else give up their idea that the harvest or rapture precedes the rooting up of the wicked. 

But, there are still some incongruities to deal with. For instance, it seems that the harvesting and gathering of the wheat actually does involve both living and dead saints; But, on the other hand, the gathering of the tares in bundles for burning, occurring prior to that, does not involve the wicked dead, but only of the wicked who are yet living on earth. 

Further, it seems that the harvest is all one in the parable, occurring at once, although two different plants are cut down and reaped. These are not two separate harvests, but one harvest from one field, but having two manners of plants to be separated. It is also clear that the harvesting of the tares cannot involve the resurrection of the wicked dead, for that cannot occur before the resurrection of the saints. The wheat harvest does involve reaping the bodies out of the graves and joining them with their heavenly spirits. But, the weed harvest only involves living people at the time of the end, and no resurrection of the bodies of the wicked dead.

In summation, I think the harvest of wheat and tares concerns only the division of peoples who are alive at the end of the age. It does not even focus upon the resurrection of the dead. The fact that the resurrection of the bodies of the righteous dead are raised at the same time as the gathering or harvesting of saints in the rapture at the return of Christ does not disprove the fact that the separation of saved from unsaved is in regard to those who are alive on earth. 

So, what is involved in this harvesting, gathering, and bundling of the tares? We know it is not the time of the resurrection of the wicked dead, for that occurs after the Millennium and after the harvesting of the wheat. It is, and must be therefore, as we have seen, a harvesting of the wicked who are yet living on earth at the time of the Lord's coming. 

Some Reasons For Hesitancy

Though I believe that the rapture of living saints at the return of Christ occurs towards the end of the Apocalyptic judgments of the day of the Lord, or after "the great tribulation," and have argued that one of the reasons for that view is the affirmation of the words "gather first the tares," yet this argument is not by itself undeniable proof. It could be wrong to connect the word "first" with the gathering of tares alone. It could be that the orders given to the angels by their Commander has a list of many things for those angels to do and yet Christ says "of all the things I have ordered you to do, first harvest both the wheat and tares before you do the other things." In such a case the word "first" does not mean "first" in regard to the wheat, but in regard to the other unspecified things the angels will be charged with doing when Christ comes. 

Also, as we will see, the parable of the fish net seems to show that there is no single order to this harvesting of wheat and tares, and so this argument that the unsaved will be harvested before the saved is not the only possibility. I cannot therefore be too dogmatic on this argument for a post tribulation reaping of saints. 

It is a single harvest but a division in the way each is gathered or collected, or we would say it is a single harvest with two reapings. Further, just as there is both similarity and difference between the resurrection of the just and the resurrection of the unjust, so too there is similarity and difference between the end time separation of the living when comes the day of the Lord, of separating the saved from the unsaved. In exploring that further, we will see what is involved in the harvest and gathering together of living saints at the return of Christ.

Paul, in beginning a series of revelations concerning end times in his Thessalonian epistles (which deal greatly with the doctrine of the second coming or eschatology), said this in his first epistle: 

"we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him..." (II Thess. 2: 1)

That "gathering together" is what occurs in I Thessalonians chapter four, as we have previously called attention to, where the apostle says that Christ will "descend from heaven with a shout of command and with the voice of the archangel and trump of God" at which time "the dead in Christ will rise first," and when the living saints will be "caught up" (or raptured) into the air along with the resurrected bodies of all dead saints, and when they themselves experience the same change in their physical bodies as did the resurrected bodies of saints. This is that "gathering together unto" Christ that he speaks about in the above text in his second epistle. The Greek word for "gathering together" is episynagōgē and is used twice in Hebrews 10: 25 in the words "the assembling of ourselves together." This is the bundling or gathering together (sheaves) of the harvest of the wheat. 

There is no doubt that we can speak of the resurrection of the dead bodies of saints as a kind of harvest. There is also no doubt that when a righteous person dies, his soul and spirit may be said to have been reaped when he is gathered in spirit into paradise. It is important to understand that the harvest of the wheat and tares is a prophecy of the reaping of those who are alive on earth at the time of the second coming and not of the dead. Therefore, those who espouse a pre-tribulation rapture will respond to the argument that the text says "gather first the tares" by saying the parable does not deal with the rapture at all. But, that is obviously a denial of the plain text. It speaks of the harvesting, reaping, and gathering of the wheat. We have seen that the rapture is such. 

Gather Out Of His Kingdom

"...and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire." (Matt. 13: 41)

Notice how the words above do not say "and they will gather out the wheat from among the inhabitants of the earth," which it ought to say if there is a rapture or snatching away of living end time believers prior to the time of great tribulation and the final gathering and destruction of the wicked (tares). The Greek word for "out" is "ek" and literally means "out from among." Those who practice lawlessness and offend will be gathered or taken out so that only the unoffensive and law abiding may remain. The gathering out of his kingdom such wicked people is identical with gathering out the tares from among the wheat so that only wheat is left. 

Years ago when I debated the question of "once saved always saved" or the doctrine of eternal security or perseverance of the chosen and called, the Arminian who denied it used the above verse to prove that people can lose salvation. He affirmed that "gathering out of his kingdom" meant gathering out from among the people of God those who had apostatized. They were in the kingdom (saved) and then, because of backsliding, were gathered out (lost salvation or membership in the kingdom of saints). But, that is not what the text is teaching. 

First, it is talking about what occurs at the end of the age, and not what is occurring daily throughout the two thousand years of the church age. Second, by "his kingdom" is meant "his wheat" or "children of the kingdom." That being so, the "gathering out from among his kingdom all the lawless" means the same thing as "gathering out from among his wheat all the tares." In this reading the kingdom of God is intertwined with the kingdom of Satan (his seed or children) as are the tares and the wheat. Third, none of the tares ever became wheat and none of the wheat ever became tares. 

Further, Jesus identified the wheat or "good seed" as "children of the kingdom" but the tares are "children of the wicked one." So, we may read the above verse in this manner - "gather out the children of the kingdom from among the children of the wicked one." Thus, there is no statement about a child in the kingdom becoming lost or turning into a tare. 

Another error on this parable is rather common among bible commentators. It is sometimes said that wheat and tares are to grow together within the church. But, that is a gross misinterpretation and has negative consequences for other clear bible teachings. If it were true, then it would be wrong for a church to ever exclude or excommunicate someone who proved to be a tare or of the kingdom of the lawless or children of the wicked one. Further, it is against the plain interpretation that the Savior gave to the parable wherein he says "the field is the world." He did not say "the field is the church." 

The main idea in the parable is prophetic, dealing with what occurs at the end of the age (although with the idea of how the king's children should interact with the children of the wicked one during the age is also of importance). That one fact overthrows several wrong interpretations on the parable. Yes, the growing of the wheat and weeds occurs linearly during the entire age, but not the reaping or harvesting. That occurs at the end of the age. Another leading idea in the parable is the idea of complete separation of righteous people from unrighteous people; And, though there is some separation that occurs in life on earth, between just and unjust, saved and lost, yet there is no complete separation. Wrote the apostle:

"I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person." (I Cor. 5: 9-11 nkjv)

Believers should not "keep company with" certain people, should avoid the company and gatherings of certain people whose behavior is as the apostle described. But, Paul realized that it was not always possible or practical to have no dealings at all with such people, saying it was not realistic, "for then you must go out of the world." But, the idea is this; as much as possible avoid certain gatherings and practices of the lawless. So, Paul recognizes that wheat and tares will stay intertwined in each other's lives, and not fully separated, until the "end of the age." In the same epistle Paul also says: 

"Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” (II Cor. 6: 17 nkjv)

So, believers seek separation in some ways from unbelievers. But, they also want to teach unbelievers the gospel and to witness to them, and to warn them of the consequences of their immoralities in view of the coming day of judgment. But, there is coming a day when there will be a complete separation of saved from unsaved, of righteous from unrighteous. Also, keep in mind, as we have already stated, this separation at the end of the age is a separation of those who are alive at the end of the age, i.e. those who compose that generation that shall be last before the end. It is not a separation of the dead, for they are already separated in their disembodied spirits in the intermediate state, with the righteous in paradise and the lost in Hades. 

This final separation is affirmed by Christ in the prophecy of the judgment of sheep and goat peoples and by the parable of the wheat and weeds. It is also what John the Baptist said of Christ.

"...he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matt. 3: 11-2)

This "purging" involves the separation we have been focusing upon and which takes place at the end of the age. It is separating wheat from chaff (tares or weeds). In the case above, the separation occurs by a farming tool call the "fan," a winnowing fan that made use of the wind to do the separating of wheat from chaff, the wheat being heavier than the tares. However, in the parable of the wheat and tares, it is the angels who do the separating, and there is some order to the process, such as gathering the weeds first, and then bundling them, and then burning them. So too with the gathering of the wheat. In the prophecy of the sheep and goat peoples it is Christ's presence and word to each that separates the two kinds of people. It is also said that he "sets" the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.

Companion Parable

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:  Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 13: 47-50 kjv)

This parable teaches the same thing as the prophecy of the sheep and goat nations and of the harvest of wheat and tares. It deals with that final separation that will occur among those who are alive when Christ comes at the end of the age and at the start of the Millennial age. 

There is a difference however between this parable and the parable of the wheat and tares. In the latter we saw how the tares were gathered first, and how it was the children of the wicked one who were gathered out from among the children of the kingdom but in the above the order is reversed it seems, for it says that "the good" are first gathered "into vessels" before the bad fish are "cast away." In that parable it does not even indicate that the bad fish were "gathered" at all. It was the good fish that were gathered out of the waters and then out of the net (wherein all fish were harvested at the same time) so that the net only had bad fish remaining to be cast away. 

The solution to this seeming conflict is to say that all three texts focus on how the righteous and the wicked will be forever separated from each other when Christ comes and this separation concerns those who are alive at the end of the age when Christ fully comes. Also, we cannot just cast aside the words "gather first the tares" as if they had no significance. We could say that at the very same time A was separated from B that B was separated from A.

There are problems either way as respects the order of the harvest of wheat and tares. If we say the wheat are gathered first, there are some problems. If we say the tares are gathered first, there are some problems. To go into this matter further would go beyond the scope of this series on the afterlife or hereafter. I do believe that in the rapture and translation of living believers at the time of the resurrection of the righteous dead that the resurrected and raptured believers do not leave this earth and its heavens, for the saints meet Christ in the clouds, in the lower air, as the bible shows. At the time of the rapture will come the final destruction of the wicked, and nearly every human being, and it is the wicked who are taken away or cast away so that they are no longer on earth. This is in keeping with the words of Solomon: 

"For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it; But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it." (Prov. 2: 21-22 nkjv) 

In the next article in this two chapter (posting) series, we will discuss what is involved in the end time "gathering" and "bundling" of the tares.