Wheat and Tares

    There is another statement made in the parable of the wheat and the tares that we should look at very carefully. We read in Matthew 13:25:

     What does "while men slept" mean? Obviously, in this context, God is talking about the development of the New Testament church during which Satan somehow was able to sow tares amongst the wheat. So, how can we understand the phrase, "while men slept"?

    It is true that in many places in the Bible, the idea of "sleeping" is associated with death. However, in this reference, death is not in view. Rather, God has a time in view when He has not opened spiritual eyes. We read, for example, in Isaiah 29:10-12:

For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed you eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.

     In this passage, God is teaching that if God does not open our "eyes" to the revelation that has been placed in the Bible, then it is like the "book" is "sealed" or it is like we are still sleeping.

We get the same idea when we look at Daniel 8:18-19:

Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.

    Here again, before knowledge is given to Daniel, God uses the figure of him being in a deep sleep.

    Do you recall that in Daniel 12:9, God told Daniel and us, also:

And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

     In other words, the idea of the book being "sealed" is the idea that truth is written in the Bible but there is a time for God to reveal to the readers what He has written. God has a timetable for revealing various aspects of truth of the Bible.

    God even uses the idea of sleeping in connection with Himself as He develops His divine program. We read in Psalm 78:65-66:

Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine. And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.

     Therefore, the idea of awakening from sleep is frequently used in the Bible to indicate that it is time for God’s program to advance. He has carefully written about His entire program in the Bible, but the ability to know what is taught is unavailable until the time comes for God to awaken us from sleep. Then He opens spiritual eyes, and many recognize what God’s plan is.

    Incidentally, this is the same figure that is used in Matthew 25 where the Bible speaks of the ten virgins. While they were sleeping, the shout came that the bridegroom was coming and they awakened. It goes on to indicate what followed. There again, it indicates that throughout the church age, and the local churches are represented by the ten virgins, there were many things in the Bible that were not known. Then the time comes when it is God’s good plan to open spiritual eyes so that those He enlightens can recognize more fully what God’s plan is. Most often, this is in connection with His return at the end of time.

...all through the church age God has not revealed to the local congregations the enormous war that has been going on between Satan and the local congregations.

    Thus, we see a tremendous truth here, namely, that all through the church age, God did not reveal to the local congregations the enormous war that was going on between Satan and the local congregations, or Satan and Christ, who was represented in the local congregations. All through the

church age, Satan was considered a defeated foe. As long as we tried to be as faithful as possible to the Word of God, we believed that the local congregation was not going to be seriously troubled by Satan. Confessing members were considered to be true representatives of the kingdom of God. If they had been baptized in water, made confession of faith, promised to obey the confessions of the church, and lead decent moral lives, we believed they must truly have become saved.

We Are Awakened

Now that we are right near the end, we are awakening from our sleep.

    However, now that we are right near the end, many are awakening from sleep, that is, God is opening spiritual eyes to teach some of the things that have previously been sealed. One gigantic truth being discovered is, that all through the church age, Satan was waging an intense war within the congregations. So intense is his attack that already, at the very beginning, as we learned from Revelation 2 and 3, Satan was sowing his tares in the churches. Because he comes as an angel of light and his ministers as ministers of righteousness, he was able to occupy the church increasingly throughout the church age.

But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

     Thus, the wheat and the tares had to remain until the end of the church age. This truth is presently coming to light as God opens spiritual eyes to these truths.

    We must remember that anyone who is not elect of God is not a saved person and he will never become saved. But that does not mean he cannot be a very decent, moral person. For example, people in other religions and people who believe in a false gospel, which obviously is a false gospel because its authority is other than the Bible alone, can be decent people. Most of the members of the false churches are decent, moral, upright people who give every appearance of belonging to the kingdom of God. Can it be that these fine upstanding people are still in Satan’s kingdom? The answer must be, Yes!

    There are only two spiritual kingdoms in the world. One is the kingdom of God, and its citizens are only those who are truly saved. Each and every other person in the world is a citizen of Satan’s kingdom. It is true that if an individual in Satan’s kingdom is one of God’s elect, in time, God will save that person, and he will be taken out of Satan’s kingdom and become a citizen of God’s kingdom.

Satan Sows the Tares and Departs

    We have been learning that all through the time of the church age, Satan was busy sowing tares in the local congregations. However, we immediately have more questions. Can we know more clearly, even though he is free to do this, how he is able to do this? Why does it say in Matthew 13:25 that he does this and then goes his way? We should try to answer these questions.

    We will begin by analyzing the nature and desires of mankind. We humans were created in the image of God. This means that we have a basic understanding that there is a God to whom we must answer. In fact, God’s law, the Bible, teaches us that God’s laws, to some degree, are written on the hearts of mankind. That is, intuitively, all men know it is wrong to murder, to steal, and to commit adultery. The consequence of this intuitive knowledge of God is man’s desire to be involved in some kind of religion that recognizes a higher being and permits him to worship this higher being.

    Therefore, throughout the history of mankind, men have identified with some kind of worship activity. In some cases, it was a religion centered on a wood or stone idol, such as we see in the Buddhist religion, or some other religion, such as Islam or Taoism, in which they thought they had found their solution, or it may have been a religion that identified with the Bible, such as Mormonism or Jehovah’s Witnesses. In addition, a great many people identified with the Christian religion, which we knew as the local

congregations that believe that the Bible alone and in its entirely is the Word of God.

What prompts an individual to become part of a particular religion?

     The question is, what prompts an individual to become part of a particular religion? Why did he choose to become a Buddhist, a Mormon, a Seventh-Day Adventist or a Baptist? Only the individual can answer that question. His upbringing, his family ties, his social environment, his own perceived understanding of the value of that particular religion, all may enter into his choice.

    True, in connection with the Christian religion, many joined a local congregation because they actually became saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, they knew they should become a member of a local congregation that is as faithful as possible to the Bible. Ideally, these were the only persons who should have become members.

    However, there are many unsaved individuals, who for a variety of reasons (including some of those named above), have a desire to become part of the Christian religion, just as many of his contemporaries develop desires to become a part of the Mormon religion, the Christian Science religion, or the Buddhist religion. True, as an integral part of the Christian religion, he becomes acquainted with the Bible and he does hear the Gospel. However, unless he is one of God’s elect, he will never become saved. Nevertheless, when he follows the rules of the church he joins, such as being baptized in water and making confession of faith, he is assured that he is a genuinely saved member of that local church. The rules of baptism and confession of faith, etc., are certainly in accordance with Bible truth.

    Furthermore, we must consider that each person has been given certain abilities by God. We see this in a secular world. One person may be born with great musical talent and another with great talent to become an engineer. Each individual, therefore, frequently will try to utilize these talents to provide the greatest advantage to himself. Likewise, included amongst those who join any given religion, there will be those who have a basic natural talent or desire to be a leader in that religion. He, therefore, aspires to be a theologian, a pastor, a priest, or an evangelist. This situation prevails in every religion of the world. The same situation has prevailed in the local congregations that believe the Bible is the only Word of God. Men and women have come into these churches and then aspired to have significant leadership positions.

    Many times, however, these individuals were not saved, and they began to bring heresy into the congregation. This was already occurring

within the seven churches named in the first two chapters of the Book of Revelation. The Nicolaitans, who must have followed an unsaved man named Nicolas, were already in leadership positions. There was Jezebel an unsaved woman in the church of Thyatira. These individuals were exposed by God who knows the hearts of mankind.

    Ordinarily, individuals who aspire to these leadership positions in the local congregations do not come with any malice in their thinking. Rather, they are looking at that local congregation as simply a place where they can exercise their particular professional talents. For example, in the secular world, a man with engineering talents strives to be the best engineer possible. He has become a part of the profession of engineering. Another individual enters into the legal profession and becomes an excellent attorney. Another enters into the medical profession and becomes a fine doctor.

There are those who wish to enter into the profession of preaching or the profession of theology.

     Likewise, there are those who wish to enter into the profession of preaching or the profession of theology. But these pastors and theologians may not understand that preaching and teaching the Bible is not a profession in the sense the word "profession" is used in the secular world. The preacher is to be a very humble servant of Christ, humbly ministering to the spiritual needs of the congregation. He should be an outstanding example of piety and humility to the flock as he ministers the Word and prays for the congregation.

Corinthians 11:14-15. Remember that Satan is the father of lies. He does his best work by giving an unsaved man a desire to enter into the local congregation. This man in his own mind will be fully convinced he is serving Christ.

...the wheat and tares are virtually indistinguishable.

    We have learned that the wheat and the tares are virtually indistinguishable. Therefore, the members of the church cannot know that this man is not a saved man. Moreover, he is a decent, moral individual with a great many professional talents that appear to make him a great asset to the work of the church. He may be charming, intelligent, a superior Bible scholar, and an excellent speaker. But, without himself or the congregation realizing it, he is an emissary of Satan because he is still an unsaved man. Even though the church is ruled over by God, this individual is still under the authority of Satan because he is unsaved.

    We see this already in the church of Pergamos in Revelation 2:15, where we read that the Nicolaitans were very active. We know that Satan cannot take over the congregation because God is ruling there. But, he can have some authority. Therefore, in connection with the church of Pergamos, God speaks about Satan taking his seat. That is, Satan, to some degree, is ruling there. Obviously, he is ruling because there are unsaved individuals living under his authority who are his emissaries. That, in turn, gives Satan some ruling power.

Satan Departs    

    Matthew 13:25 tells us that after this tare (weed) is brought into the congregation, Satan goes away. That is, he departs. He departs because God is ruling that congregation. But Satan has accomplished much in his warfare against Christ. He has succeeded in bringing his "minister of righteousness" into that congregation. 

    We must remember that this "minister of righteousness," who became a member of this congregation, is not at all aware of what true salvation is. He has never experienced it. Neither does he fear and tremble before God. He does not clearly recognize that the Bible is the divine authority that structures and determines what ought to be taught in this church. He, therefore, is ready to embrace doctrines or practices that are somewhat contrary to the Word of God. These doctrines or practices already may have gained some foothold in other churches of his denomination.

     Furthermore, because of his position as pastor, deacon, or elder, he has been appointed to have the spiritual oversight of this congregation. In his spiritual oversight, he may not be sensitive to the Biblical requirements for other church leaders, such as elders and deacons. However, because of his position in the church and his apparent leadership capabilities, he may greatly influence the selection of those who eventually become fellow deacons and elders. And so, as time goes on, an increasing number of tares are brought into leadership positions within this congregation.

    At the same time, the membership of that church will also reflect the spiritual condition of leadership. More and more members will be allowed in who actually have no experiential knowledge of salvation.

    However, as long as they adhere to the basic rules for membership, each member is looked upon as a genuinely saved member. Remember, the basic rules that apply to those who are considered to have become saved, normally include the following.

    1. A decent moral lifestyle
    2. Water baptism.
    3. Confession of faith.
    4. Promise to obey and uphold the doctrines of the church.
    5. Reasonable attendance at worship services.

    We must understand that none of these things, in themselves, prove that a person has been saved even though they are Biblical practices derived from the Bible and condoned by the Bible.

Such virtues are true humility and a deep concern for the truth of the Bible are frequently not considered in acceptance of church members.

     But if most of the leadership are not saved, it will be even more difficult for them to bring in members who are truly saved. They, themselves, have never experienced salvation. Therefore, the above basic rules become the sole criteria for membership. Such virtues as true humility and a deep concern for the truth of the Bible are frequently not considered in acceptance of church members.

    Now we can begin to understand the terrible condition that prevails in many local churches. Pastors may excel in their leadership position because this is their profession, much like an attorney will excel as an attorney because he is part of the legal profession. Therefore, the church leader, in his effort to show his colleagues and his denomination his professional abilities, can be an outstanding pastor. But it does not mean for

a moment that this proves that he has become saved. In too many instances, known only to God, these individuals are not at all humble shepherds who fear God and tremble before Him.

    On the one hand, the true pastors, who love the Lord and are definitely saved and fear God and tremble before Him, are constantly and deeply concerned that each doctrine they teach is as true to the Bible as possible. On the other hand, those who are not saved, but for whom preaching is a profession, are concerned about their acceptance and approval by their fellow pastors and their denomination. So, they follow their church confessions.

    We should not be surprised at the awful indictment God makes concerning the shepherds who should be caretakers of the flocks. This indictment focuses on the local congregations in this time in history. We read about this in Ezekiel 34. What terrible language we find there. God tells us in Ezekiel 34:2-6:

Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

    What terrible language is recorded in these verses.

If Satan can fill a local congregation with people who appear to be saved but are not saved, then that church will be a very ineffective means of building that kingdom of God.

    We can now increasingly see Satan’s plan as he, the adversary of Christ, opposes Christ. If Satan can fill a local congregation with people who

appear to be saved but are not saved, then that church will be a very ineffective means of building the kingdom of God. If he can put unsaved people (who may believe they are saved), in the spiritual leadership positions of the church, he can more effectively neutralize that church as a vehicle of God to reach the world for Christ.

Mystery of Iniquity Already Working

    Now we can understand II Thessalonians 2:7, which reads:

For the mystery of the iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

    Satan’s assault on the local churches, as he planted tares in them throughout the church age, was not understood by the true believers or by anyone else. It was a mystery. In fact, any truth of the Bible remains a mystery until God reveals it. We have repeatedly learned that God has a well-defined timetable for revealing truth. Each truth of the Bible is revealed to God’s people in accordance with God’s timetable. The mystery was the fact that even though Satan was bound for a period of time, represented by a thousand years, the entire duration of the church age, he could and would still wage war on the churches by sowing tares among the wheat. This phenomenon was not at all understood by the churches. This iniquitous, wicked activity was going on right under the noses of the church overseers, but they were hardly aware of it. II Thessalonians 2, verse 7, declares that this was going on right from the beginning of the church age. It was a mystery, and therefore, it was not recognized by the early church fathers nor by anyone at any time during the church age.

The Tares in the Congregation

Those in the congregation who are under the authority of Satan are not all sensitive to God’s commands.

    Those in the congregation who are under the authority of Satan are not at all sensitive to God’s commands. They may be earnestly trying to follow the dictates of their denomination because that is what they promised to do when they became a member. But they have no inner compulsion to carefully check out what they are taught by searching the Bible. And when they hear that doctrines are being taught on Family Radio, for example, that the seventh-day Sabbath was a ceremonial law, and that water baptism and the Lord’s Supper were ceremonial laws, they have no desire to investigate

these things in the Bible. This is because in their unsaved condition, they do not tremble before the Word of God.

    Likewise, when they hear that there are those who are teaching that the church age has come to an end and the true believers are to forsake their local congregation, their reaction can range from total indifference to livid anger. In any event, it will not cause uneasiness in their soul because they are still under Satan’s authority. Their soul is still spiritually dead so that there is no part of their personality that desires to obey any and all the commandments of God.

    However, the true believers in the congregation are increasingly disturbed by the changes they see in their own church and in many other denominations. They are wondering how these changes could happen. They, therefore, begin searching the Bible for answers. In many instances, they feel compelled in their soul to leave their congregation or they may be driven out because they are asking too many embarrassing questions. This is happening throughout the Christian world. Unfortunately, the tares appear to vastly outnumber the wheat, and so ordinarily, those who are spiritually troubled appear to be a very small percentage of the whole.

Present Church Parallels Israel

...the situation in the local churches of our day is very parallel to that which existed in Israel in the days of Jesus.

     We should be surprised and dismayed as we receive this unhappy dismal information. However, as we are learning about this, we must realize that the situation in the local churches of our day is very parallel to that which existed in Israel in the days of Jesus. Remember that for almost 1500 years, national Israel had been appointed by God to be the caretaker of the Word of God. No other people in the world were as intimately associated with God as was Israel. In fact, God used holy men of Israel to write the Bible as the Holy Spirit moved them. And the Lord Jesus our Messiah came from the nation of Israel.

    Nevertheless, as God neared the time when He would shift from the institution of the nation of Israel being the caretaker of the Bible to the church age, Jesus had very ugly things to say about national Israel. For example, in Matthew 23:27-29 and 33, Jesus had this to say of the religious rulers:

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous

unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the toms of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous,...Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

    In John 8:43-45, Jesus had these terrible words to say of the Jews:

Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth to him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

     We must remember that the Pharisees were the Bible teachers in the temple and the synagogue. The scribes were the theologians. These men were the spiritual rulers of the congregations of Israel. They, together with a great many of the congregation (the nation of Israel), appeared to be very holy, devout, decent, moral, righteous citizens of God’s kingdom. Judas, too, who betrayed Jesus, looked very much like the other apostles but Jesus called him a devil (John 6:70). We have no information that the eleven truly saved apostles thought of Judas as being unsaved.

    Unfortunately, that is the situation that prevails at the present time in the local churches. Wonderful, decent, moral, upright people lead the congregations as pastors, elders, and deacons. And the congregations themselves consist of equally decent, morally upright people.

    The question is, and it is a tremendously serious question: Are these individuals wheat or tares? As we are learning in this study, we cannot know. However, as we go on in this study we will learn that there is a divine mechanism by which God is presently separating the wheat from the tares.

    We can now understand more easily the assertion of II Thessalonians 2:3 that the time would come that the man of sin (Satan) would take his seat (rule) in the temple (the local congregations). For many years, Satan has been filling the churches with his servants who are called "ministers of righteousness" (II Corinthians 11:15), therefore, as the true believers are driven out, and indeed, commanded to come out, the congregation will consist only of those who are servants of Satan. Then, because the Holy Spirit is no longer present to restrain Satan, Satan will indeed be ruling in that congregation as an angel of light. The local church will have become like the church of Sardis (Revelation 3:1) except that there will not even be a few true believers left in the church. The church has become dead.