Christ-Appointed Reapers
The Prophetess’ Chamber
Topic: The time of harvesting—Wheat & Tares.
In the Bible, the reaping of the harvest is a metaphor for both spiritual fruitfulness and judgment. When the householder’s slaves notice the weeds, their first response was to question the quality of the seed. “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where then, did these weeds come from?”
When the master replied that an enemy has sown the weeds, the slaves are anxious to take care of the problem, to root those nasty weeds right out, but the master restrains his servants, saying that in gathering the weeds they would uproot the wheat along with them. He orders them to let both grow together until the harvest, then he will send out his reapers to collect and burn the weeds and to gather the wheat into His barn.
In the clearest of terms, Jesus tells his disciples what almost every element of the parable represents:
“The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.”
The sower had sown good seed in his field for a healthy wheat harvest; but in the dark of night an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well.
Jesus says that the reapers will take care of this at harvest time.
“The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”
It is the angels—not any human being, who are authorized to pluck out the weeds from the wheat. The tares represent evil doctrines and those who spread them.
Traditionally, tares have been identified with the darnel weed, a species of bearded rye-grass which closely resembles wheat in the early growth period. The difference between darnel and real wheat, is evident only when the plants mature and the ears appear.
The tares are false doctrines or individuals who present themselves as faithful members of the Church, but are in reality servants of Satan, and are a source of temptation to the faithful, and tend to corrupt the word of God, or the good seed that is sown.
Jesus warns those who put stumbling blocks (skandalon) before any of the “little ones” that it would be better for them to have a millstone put around their neck and to be drowned in the sea. They are stumbling block, (skandalon) to the Kingdom—for they set their mind not on divine things but on human things.
The reapers🫢are those sent to reap the field. As the servants of God, they go forth warning the nations, both priests and people, and those that harden their hearts and reject the light of truth— they are left in darkness, and delivered over unto the day of burning; thus, being bound-up by their creeds, and those priest who strengthens their bands of ignorance.
The tares that are bound and burned, are the evil ones, separated out and cast into fire (punishment) at the Judgment. The wheat gathered into the barn, represents the righteous who are separated out and made to “shine forth” in the kingdom of the Father.
In 1894, an American religious leader was heard quoting this :
“God has held the angels of destruction for many years, lest they should tear down the wheat, with the tares. But I want to tell you now, that those angels have left the portals of heaven, and they stand over this people and this nation now, and are hovering over the earth waiting to pour out the judgments. And from this very day they shall be poured out. Calamities and troubles are increasing in the earth, and there is a meaning to these things. Remember this, and reflect upon these matters. If you do your duty, and I do my duty, we’ll have protection, and shall pass through the afflictions in peace and in safety.”🤔
Moral of the Story?
We can leave the weeding out to the angels, and get on with the “mission Jesus has given us”— proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God—proclaiming that the harvest is drawing near; and indeed, that the Reapers—Are Coming!
Recently, something caught my attention in my spirit! I heard those in some of the local churches and on social media, proclaiming that “the Prophets are coming!” But according to scripture, we are not to announce a ministry gift, or their purpose—it has already been made clear what their mandate is. A more appropriate scriptural proclamation should be:
“The Reapers are Coming”
…and the separation declared by Jesus, has certainly begun.
Hebrews 6:1-20
Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come.