#DailyDevotion Don’t Get Confused. There Are 2 Raptures
Matt. 1336When Jesus had dismissed the people and gone into the house, His disciples came to Him and said, “Tell us what the parable of the weeds in the field means.” 37“The sower who sows the good seed,” He answered, “is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world. The good seed are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one. 39The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world. The reapers are the angels. 40As the weeds are gathered and burned, so it will be at the end of the world. 41The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will take out of His kingdom those who do wrong and all who lead others to do wrong, 42and will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will cry and grind their teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. If you have ears, listen!”
Yesterday we looked how the crowds were to take the meaning of this triplet of parables (the good seed, mustard seed and leaven.) Today we get the meaning that we as Jesus’ disciples are to understand it. The disciples picked this particular parable to ask the meaning of. Jesus obliges to teach the meaning of it. I find it interesting Jesus does something we are generally told not to do when trying to understanding the meaning of the parables. He allegorizes it. He gives meaning to every single detail. Of course Jesus being Jesus he can get away with it. We can do it too ‘if’ we stay within the analogy of faith (i.e. don’t teach something that is contrary to what the Scriptures clearly teach). So very quickly, Jesus, the Son of Man, is the sower, the good seed are the elect (sons of the kingdom), the weeds are everyone else (sons of the evil one). The devil is the one who sowed the bad seed. The harvest is the Last Day and the harvesters are the angels. So what does Jesus say about all these things?
On the Last Day Jesus is going to send forth his angels and they will gather all who are wicked (those who have rejected the gift of the kingdom) and cast them into the fiery furnace, the Lake of Fire, prepared to punish the angels who had rebelled, and they will cry and gnash their teeth. So listen up. There is no party in hell with Satan. There is only darkness, misery and pain. You don’t want to go there. Jesus speaks of this harvest later in Matthew where he says, 2440“Then there will be two men in the field — one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding at a mill — one will be taken and the other left.” The angels take them to the place in Revelation 19 where they are made food for birds. This is the rapture of the wicked and it comes first. Then the righteous will be harvested. Of the harvest St. Paul says, 1 Thess. 416 “When the order is given and the archangel calls and God’s trumpet sounds, the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, and the dead who are in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are still living and left behind will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we’ll always be with the Lord.” This is the second harvest, the second rapture. What is our destiny then as we have faith in Jesus to be our reign of heaven? 43 “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. If you have ears, listen!” Listen! Jesus is connecting us to Daniel chapter 7 when brings up the Son of Man. It is written there, 27“And the kingdom, along with the power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High God. Their kingdom is everlasting, and all other authorities will serve and obey them.”
Heavenly Father, make us the sons of your kingdom that we may live and reign with Christ in his kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.