Does Your Eschatology Jive With The Parable Of The Wheat And The Tares?

by Paul Benson

A lot of people will tell you: ‘The Parable of the Wheat and Tares is NOT about the resurrection of the believers and the catching away of the Church!’ The reason they must do so is because their beliefs on the end-times are so far removed from the truth they cannot reconcile them to the prophetic patterns shown in the Scriptures.

The types, shadows, allegories, and parables of the Bible were given us as a framework for our beliefs to fit into. They are a safeguard we must follow to keep our doctrine in line with the truth. Our beliefs must bear a striking resemblance to the picture presented by these patterns or something is amiss. Let’s see if our understanding of the end-time scenario fits the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares:

The Parable Of The Harvest Of Mankind

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 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? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 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. Matthew 13:24-30

The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. Matthew 13:38-40

The Resurrection of the Just will be God’s end of the world harvest of all the fruit his good seed, the Gospel, has produced. Jesus gave the Parable of the Wheat and Tares to show us a pattern of this harvest of mankind at his Return to Earth. It will follow the pattern of a farmer in those ancient days harvesting his crop. Our beliefs must be in sync with this pattern or they are in error!

Do your beliefs follow this pattern? Or are you forced to view this parable as not speaking of the Resurrection of the Just because it is at odds with your doctrine?

At harvest time they would go through the field and separate the tares (weeds) out from among the wheat so the bad seed would not be mixed with the good when it was reaped. These tares would be bound in bundles and set aside for the later burning of the field. Then the harvest of the good crop could now take place, with the wheat then being taken away from the field to the threshing floor. Later the farmer would return and burn the field (along with the bound up weeds). That is the pattern given for the end of the world harvest, and the events which transpire WILL fit it perfectly! But the teaching of many on this issue does not follow that biblical pattern.

Those promoting the pre-trib rapture theory say this parable cannot be about the Resurrection of the Just and our catching away because the tares (they say) are destroyed first then the wheat is harvested; so this parable must be about something else (a later judgment or something). This is a very common misunderstanding. But they are not discerning the real sequence the pattern presents.

What they miss is the tares were not destroyed first in this harvest of old, only separated and marked for destruction; (…bind them in bundles v.30). Notice the passage said, ‘As therefore the tares are gathered…‘ (v.40). It’s saying the manner in which these tares at the end of the world are dealt with will mirror that of the tares of the old time harvest. It’s not saying ‘Go burn the tares right now!’; it’s saying ‘Go *bind them in bundles for burning.’  Think about it. Why bind them up instead of just burning them on the spot? Because they had to be ‘set aside’ until later. Those tares couldn’t be burned with the wheat still in the ground. It would set the field on fire and destroy the crop! The field was not burnt until AFTER the harvest! (Likewise the wrath of God does not fall until AFTER the catching away at the Second Coming!)

{* Jude referred to those given over to apostasy as being ‘plucked up by the roots’ (Jude 1:12), and that their end was perdition. A perfect image of those who are given over to destruction for taking the coming Mark of the Beast. The Mark of the Beast will truly pluck the tares up by the roots and bind them for later burning!}

This pattern fits perfectly with the end-time events prophesied elsewhere in the Scriptures. The Mark of the Beast will identify and separate the tares, sealing their fate, (binding them for later burning). Then the Lord will harvest his crop, gather us up unto him, and return to burn his field. Just like they did in the days of old!

God’s harvest will fit the pattern of the literal harvest or there was no point in giving the parable in the first place.

Also the Bible says the harvest is the end of the world. This must take place in conjunction with the Return of Christ which is at the end. A purported pre-trib rapture would not happen at the end, but 7 years before the end! That is totally out of sync with this parable. Their scenario has the wheat harvested (pre-trib rapture) before the tares are separated and bound up; and then *more wheat being harvested after this preliminary harvest (the Jews and Gentiles saved during the tribulation)! No wonder they have to say the parable of the wheat and tares is not about the resurrection and our catching away. It rebukes over and over the bogus order their doctrine presents of the end-time events!

{* Many try to account for this departure from the pattern by showing the additional wheat (tribulation Saints) harvested later by the type/shadow of ‘gleaning’. But this also is no fit at all! Gleaning was NOT done by the owner of the field. And the gleaned wheat did not end up in his possession. It went elsewhere. This is merely a grasping at straws (pun intended), and is just another pre-trib no-fit.}

The Chaff Also Has To Go!

A vital part of this process of harvesting the wheat was the separating of the wheat from the chaff. The chaff was once quite important in that it housed, nourished, and protected the kernel of wheat while it was growing; but it is no longer of use to the wheat after it has been harvested. It is also of no use to the farmer, and must be removed before the wheat is acceptable to him.

Our mortal body is typified by the chaff. Like the chaff of the wheat it now houses, nourishes, and protects us, but will be of no further use to us (or God) after the harvest of mankind. It has to go! Just as the wheat is shed of its husk, we also will shed our ‘chaff’ at the Resurrection of the Just! The fallen flesh we now inhabit, no longer of any value to us (or God), will be replaced with a glory we can only imagine!

Just as the wind blowing over the threshing floor blew away the chaff, at the resurrection the wind of the Holy Spirit will move upon us and free us from this earthly body! And once the wheat (us) has shed its chaff (our earthly body) we will be accepted, and gathered unto our Lord (the catching away)! Is not this prophetic image of the wheat harvest a perfect picture of the hope and anticipation of every believer?

So we see the post-tribulation Return of Christ, and the resurrection / catching away that happens at that time, is a perfect match to the prophetic imagery of this parable! In both the old-time harvest and the end-time harvest we see:

• The wheat and tares growing together until the end. Any theory which removes the believers (or unbelievers) from the world before the very end is unworkable!
• Then the tares separated out and bound up for later destruction. The Mark of the Beast and persecution of Antichrist will accomplish this separation between the true believers and the unbelievers / make-believers in preparation for the harvest of mankind.
• Then the harvest of the wheat. The angels now begin the reaping of God’s long awaited harvest: the Righteous redeemed!
• Then the separating of the wheat from its chaff. Just as the wheat in the old-time harvest was lifted by a winnowing fork into the breeze that blew across the threshing floor, separating out the chaff; we will be raised by the resurrection, and the wind of the Spirit will free us from mortality by transforming us into a likeness of Christ’s current glorified state!
• Then the wheat being accepted and received. Just as the wheat once freed from its chaff was received by the farmer so will we now be fit to be gathered unto Christ as he awaits us in the air at his Second Coming!
• Then the farmer returns to the field and burns it (along with the tares). After the harvest and in-gathering the farmer would return to burn his field to destroy the bad seed (tares), purify the field, and prepare it for the new season to come. In like manner Jesus will descend to earth, after the resurrection / catching away at his Second Coming, and purge this evil world by fire, preparing it for a new era!

The resurrection and catching away of the Church at the Second Coming (and the fiery vengeance poured out at that time) fit the prophetic picture of the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares like a tailor made glove! And why shouldn’t this be so? Both are plainly described to us in the Bible!

But any other scenario (pre-trib, mid-trib, no-trib, or what-have-you) are, as we have seen, not according to the prophetic pattern given us by this parable. And thus should be rejected outright. Do your beliefs jive with this parable? If not maybe you ought to be asking yourself why.

Let’s make sure our beliefs are in accord with the prophetic patterns given us in the Word of God. Let’s get it right!

Grace and blessing upon all who love our Christ;

Paul Benson

http://www.paulbenson.me

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