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In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a series of parables. One of them, the parable of the wheat and the tares, has to do with kingdom growth, false appearances, and a final judgment that will occur at the end of the age. Here is the parable that Jesus told:
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?” He said to them, “An enemy has done this.” So the servants said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he said, “No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ‘Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” (Matthew 13:24–30, ESV)
As with all parables, the characters, objects, and events in this story have a meaning that supports the overall lesson Jesus taught. In this case, the Lord specifies His intended meaning, interpreting the parable for His disciples:The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear. (Matthew 13:37–43)
So, at the end of the age, there will be a reckoning on earth. God will command His angels into the world to gather the “weeds,” or “tares” (those who belong to Satan), and prepare them for burning. Only the righteous will be left to inherit the kingdom of God. They will “shine like the sun” (Matthew 13:43; cf. Daniel 12:3); that is, they will reflect the majesty and glory of God their Father. Jesus pictures their entrance into the kingdom as wheat being safely gathered into a barn.As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear. (Matthew 13:37–43)
In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus refers to the same judgment:
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. (Matthew 25:31–33)
After dividing the “sheep” from the “goats,” Jesus declares their fate. The sheep on His right will be ushered into the kingdom where they will experience God’s blessing (Matthew 25:34). But the goats on His left are under God’s curse; they will be sent away “into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). In other words, the wheat is gathered into the barn, and the weeds are bundled and burned. Only then will Christ’s millennial kingdom commence.In Matthew 13, the farmer’s command to “gather the wheat into my barn” is a picture of God’s plan to save His people. There is judgment coming, but God promises that “we will not be condemned along with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:32). The children of the devil will one day face a terrible fate. But the children of God, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, will know safety, blessing, and eternal glory.
