The Wheat and the Tares Paul Godfrey Audio: The Wheat and the Tares Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/27952592
We have a problem with misapplying scripture. This problem is not a recent problem, it has been happening for years. Did the Jewish nation misapply scripture? Did it matter if it did or not? It makes a difference to how and when we apply the words of God. To apply the words of God at the right time is present truth. Noah preached present truth to avoid the worldwide flood of water. We are not calling people to enter into a wooden ark becauseit is not present truth for us but as in the days of Noah so shall it be in the days of the Son of man, in that people are misapplying the prophetic declarations of God’s word. We have a problem today with the wheat and tares. The Bible clearly says let the wheat and tares grow together until the harvest. Misapplying the prophecies causes us to consider the harvest as a future event. In other words, we cannot start being dogmatic about the truth becausethe wheat and tares, the false and true have to be together. It is prophesied. People believe the wheat and tares have to stay together because it says let them grow together, do not start pulling them apart. What did the Lord say to those who wanted to come and pull them out? He said do not do it lest the wrong people are pulled out. People say the wheat and tares must grow together because the harvest is at the end of the world when Jesuscomes so let’s get cosy with each other and do not worry about it. Matthew 13:24 The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 13:26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
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13:27 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? 13:28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 13:29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 13:30 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. Does this justify evil in the church or has it ever been used to justify it ? Have we heard it said the wheat and tares would be there till the harvest? We need to understand the time of the harvest. Doesthe parable say the harvest is a day or a time? It says the harvest is a time. We need to understand the time because if we do not understand the time in which we live we will have serious problems. The Jewsdid not understand the time in which they lived. Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Jesus is crying over Jerusalem. He is weeping over the religious centre, burdened and sorrowful. Why is he sorry? Luke 19:42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things [which belong] unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 19:43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 19:44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. Christ is sorry over this religious centre. He sees with his prophetic eye the Roman armies surrounding Jerusalem. The Jews thought they would win the battle against the Romans. They were sure the Lord would not leave them. They did not understand the prophecies when Rome came and destroyed the city with the women, children, widows and elderly. Why did that happen to such a religious centre? It happened to them because they did not know the time of their visitation. There was the problem. Is it possible to do the same thing with the harvest? Is it possible to miss the harvest thinking it is still future?
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Jeremiah 8:20 The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. Is it possible for us to do the same thing in the time of the harvest? Absolutely it is! God’s professed people cry, 'Oh the harvest is past, and we are not saved. We missed the time. We thought it was coming. We put everything into the future. We justified there would be tares in the church and we used that to excuse all the wrongdoing.’ The following verse sheds more light on the sifting processof the harvest than what we just read. Amos 9:8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD [are] upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD. God will not destroy the whole house; some of it is good, but a lot of it is bad. Amos 9:9 For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as [corn] is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. 9:10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us. They say yes there is sin in the church but it is there because the Bible says the wheat and the tares will grow together. It will not prevent us or overtake us. Is that such a reasoning today. What does the Bible say? It says the sinners of my people shall die who say this. They excuse an error because the parable that says it will continue until the time of the harvest. They put the harvest off till the future and then say we should not try and pull up tares becauseit is must not be done as God says do not do it so just get on with worldly activities. Such a people will die by the sword but not one grain or pure wheat will fall upon the earth. We need to understand this. In Matthew 13 Jesusexplains this parable. Matthew 13:37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one]; 13:39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. When is the harvest? The harvest is the end of the world. Who are the reapers? They are the angels. Matthew 13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
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13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his [God’s] kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; In the kingdom of heaven there are many names. The angels will gather out of the kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity. This will take place. We want to understand when it will happen so we can take part of it. Matthew 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. This experience is mental anguish, serious stress. Matthew 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. The sun is the brightest object in the firmament. How many of us have ears? We all have two ears. It is twice as important to hear. What are ears for? What are we listening to? Are we listening to worldly music or gossip? Is that why God put ears on heads? What is it God wants us to hear? He wants us to hear this parable. If we have ears, we must pay attention to this parable right now.
The F ield The field is the world. Some say it is not about God’s church. The parable is about God’s church because it says he is going to start pulling them out of his kingdom. His kingdom includes people on earth. There is going to be a separating within Christendom in the time of the harvest. What will be the experience of the tares at the end? They will be weeping and gnashing their teeth. We read in Matthew 24 about a problem between two servants. A servant of the Lord is a Christian. Matthew 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 24:46 Blessed [is] that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 24:47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. Here comes a contrast. Matthew 24:48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 24:49 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
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24:50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and in an hour that he is not aware of, The evil servant said it in his heart, not out loud. The evil servant thinks there is more time or distance between him and Christ’s second coming than the other servant. Who has the best sense of timing the evil or wise servant? The wise servant is more accurate in his understanding of God’s timing than the evil servant. The evil one is a servant of the Lord but he has bad timing. The evil servant considers Jesus as his Lord. Just because we say Jesusis Lord does it stop us from being an evil servant. It is good for us to examine whether we are in the faith or not. The Bible says the Lord of that servant will come in a day when he is not looking for him. Is this bad timing? The evil servant did not know the time of his visitation. The visitor came and the evil servant was expecting other things to happen. Just like the experience of Jerusalem he will come in an hour in which he is not aware. He has not realized so many things have already been fulfilled. What will happen to this servant whose Lord is Jesus? Matthew 24:51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is clearly the experience of people who claim to be following the Lord. Jesus says not everyone who says ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. It is only those who do the will of my Father in heaven. How do we know the will of God if we do not know prophecy? Was it time for the wheat and tares to separate when they were growing or is it time for them to separate at the harvest? It is time. If I do not do the will of my Father at the right time, I have a problem. Many will say to Christ 'I have prophesied and cast out devils and done many wonderful works in your name' but he will say, ‘depart from me, ye workers of iniquity I do not know you' the worst words ever to fall on mortal ears. It will happen to Christians, Adventists and people waiting for Jesusto come. Jesusweeps if we do not know the time of his visitation. When will the wheat and tares be separated? In the harvest? When is the harvest? The harvest is at the end of the world. The reapers are the angel’s. The end of the world is a time of harvest and the reapers are the angels. When Jesustalked to the Jewsabout not knowing the time of his visitation, he said they neglected to study the details spoken by Daniel the prophet. Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: They were to know the time through the study of Daniel at the fulfilment of the prophecy written in Daniel they were to escape. Is that a practical application of the prophecies? Having understanding and involvement in prophecy is practical Christianity. Was it the will of God to flee Jerusalem at that time? Yes it was the will of God. Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will not necessarily be saved unless he does the will of God at the appointed time. Whosoever reads the book of Daniel let him understand. The Jew’s did not recognise the time of their visitation because the book of Daniel was to give them their understanding and it is no different today. Daniel 2 is a basic overview of world history.
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Daniel 2:32 This image's head [was] of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 2:33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet [that were] of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. Here is an illusion of the summer threshing floor. When do we thresh the wheat? Wheat is threshed after it is harvested. The next verses explain the beginning of the head of gold. Nebuchadnezzar is the head of God. Daniel 2 is a vision from the Babylonian Empire to beyond the harvest when the wind carries it away and the kingdom of heaven is established on the earth. This interpretation continues; Daniel 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee [Medes and Persians], and another third kingdom of brass [Greece], which shall bear rule over all the earth. 2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all [things]:and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. 2:41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. 2:42 And [as] the toes of the feet [were] part of iron, and part of clay, [so] the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. We have just read about four empires - the Babylonian Empire succeeded by the Persian Empire under Cyrus and Alexander the Great under the Grecian empire came in followed by Roman. From there Rome broke into pieces represented by clay mixed with iron; these nations were partly strong partly weak this is Europe today. Throughout the ages Europe has continually tried to unite through marriage but it never succeeded. Page 6 of 17 http://scribd.com/sabbathsermons/
Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings [the European powers] [shall the God of heaven set up [or establish] a kingdom, Did the parable of the wheat and tares have to do with his kingdom? Daniel 2:44 …shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, [but] it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. God's kingdom consolidates during the time of the European divisions. Daniel 7 follows the same situation described through pictures of beasts. Daniel 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. 7:4 The first [was] like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and [it had] three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. 7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it [was] diverse from all the beasts that [were] before it; and it had ten horns. The same empires represented by animals. The Lion was the Babylonian Empire, the Bear was the Medo Persian Empire, the Leopard was the Grecian Empire and the dreadful beast was the Roman Empire which had 10 horns. Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn [were] eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. Daniel kept looking. Page 7 of 17 http://scribd.com/sabbathsermons/
Daniel 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning fire. 7:10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. So once again through history we see the Roman power described as having 10 divisions which are 10 horns or governing powers that came from it. Finally, one came from it speaking exceeding great things. He continued to look and saw the judgement set and the books opened. Does one judge in judgement? To determine what is wheat and what are tares a judgment has to be made. Here comes a time of judgement, a time to decide and sort out what is what. This happens after the establishment of the Roman Catholic Church in which the Pontiff claims to be God on earth. I do not think there can be a greater claim. He also thinks to change times and laws. Daniel wanted to know the truth about the fourth beast. Daniel 7:19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth [were of] iron, and his nails [of] brass; [which] devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; 7:20 And of the ten horns that [were] in his head, and [of] the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even [of] that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look [was] more stout than his fellows. 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; The power identified as the Roman Catholic Church was to make war or persecute God’s people. Did it happen? Doesthe Bible specify a period given to persecution? Daniel 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; At the end of the persecution judgement was to take place. We are closer to identifying the time of judgement. Daniel 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
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7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom [are] ten kings [that] shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 7:25 And he shall speak [great] words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. The Bible identifies the word time as one year. How long did King Nebuchadnezzar go mad? Seven times or seven years. Here we have time which is single – one year. Times – what is the smallest number for plural? Two. Time is one and times is two and the dividing of times. What is half of one? Half. We have three and a half years. We identify in the Jewish reckoning there are 360 days in one year which equals 1260 days or years. The Bible identifies a day as a year in prophecy so we have a persecution period of 1260 years. If we read history we find the dark agesof Christian persecution went from 538 to 1789 when the Pope was taken prisoner by France and died in prison. We identify after 1798 a judgment was to come. The Bible says, “Judgement shall sit and they shall take away his dominion, consume and destroy it unto the end.” After 1798 we understand there needs to be a judgement to decide between the wheat and tares. Let’s look at Daniel 8 as in this chapter we see the same vision concerning the empires but with different animals, a goat and a ram. This chapter also identifies the Roman power. Who nailed Jesus to the cross? It was the Roman power. The Romans were treading down and persecuting God’s people including Christ. Daniel 8:13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain [saint] which spake, How long [shall be] the vision [concerning] the daily [sacrifice], and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? Desolate means to destroy. To desolate a forest, means to chop everything down. A desolating power persecutes people or desolates them by cutting them down. How long were God’s people Christian or Jews stamped upon by this pagan and papal power? The answer is in the following verse. Daniel 8:14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days [literal years]; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. This is a very long period. What was to happen at the end of the 2300 years? It says the sanctuary needs cleansing. How is something cleaned? Is not the rubbish removed? Is gathering the wheat and tares out of the field cleaning the field? Sometimes a huge cleanup incorporates a large bonfire to burn all the rubbish. After the 2300 days, there is going to be some cleaning in the heavenly sanctuary. Cleaning is simply separating the things needed from the things not wanted. Where is the sanctuary? It is in heaven. The records in the books of heaven will be cleaned up. Daniel 9 identifies the beginning of this period. It says 70 weeks [490 years] are determined upon thy people. The word determined means cut off so out of the 2300 years we find 490 years were cut off for the Jewish people. The rest
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was allocated for others. That time started at the decree the restore and rebuild Jerusalem. We can read about it in the following verse; Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and understand, [that] from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. We read of a decree. The Bible identified three decrees in Ezra so which one do we begin the calculations with? We begin the calculations at the end of the three because this incorporates all decrees. When we have all three, we have the command. It happened in 457 BCso we add 2300 years to that and we arrive at 1844. The year 1844 was the beginning of the cleansing of the sanctuary separating the rubbish from the righteous in heaven. Daniel 8:15 And it came to pass, when I, [even] I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. 8:16 And I heard a man's voice between [the banks of] Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this [man] to understand the vision. 8:17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end [shall be] the vision. When was the 2300 days going to be? It was going to be at the time of the end. Tell me, when is the harvest? The harvest is at the end of the world. Is it the last day or 5 minutes of earth’s history in literal terms? Does one harvest 5 minutes before the end of it all? The time of the harvest is a period of separating the wheat from the tares. We identify this vision of cleaning to be at the time of the end. Daniel 8:19 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]. Page 10 of 17 http://scribd.com/sabbathsermons/
Is weeping and gnashing of teeth suffering indignation? Yes it is? Is there an appointed time? We are talking about time prophecy. If we do not identify prophecy, we have a problem. The Jew has a problem of not knowing the time of their visitation and so do we today. We put things off to the future and as we put prophecy off to the future, we make a grave mistake and we lose salvation. The Jews lost their salvation because they did not know. Let’s look at this last indignation in Daniel chapter 12. How will we cope at this time? Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people … Would it be nice to go through an experience such as World War Two? What about the inquisition or the reign of terror in France? There shall be a time of trouble such as never was. There is nothing in history to equal the time coming. Does that sound like the last indignation? The final indignation is at an appointed time. Daniel 12:1 … and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time : and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. The judgement is set and the books opened in heaven at a certain time. This time has to be after the establishment of the divisions of Europe and the papal persecution. After 1798 the books had to be opened and during this time there are names written in the book that need to be blotted out. Who believes in once saved always saved? In Revelation 3 there is a promise that says I will not blot your name out of the book. Can your name be blotted out of the book of life? Yes it can be. If it can be blotted out it means it was there before that. Can the books of heaven contain for a time the names of people who will not be saved? In the book or membership roll of heaven there are names that are unworthy to be recorded there. They were once worthy but they turned against God and now they are unworthy. In the cleaning process the names of those who are now unworthy will need to be removed. Would that name be wheat or a tare; it will be a tare? The names that remain are called wheat. The judgment is set and the books opened. Those who have profess to worship Christ in spirit and truth at any point in their life will have their name written in the book. God will consider these names and whether their names remain or are taken out is the point of the judgment. It is the separating of the wheat and the tares. We are not to separate people because we do not have discernment but God in the judgment will send something to do this work. Who is it? The angel’s will do this work. Daniel 12:1 …and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt. 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
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In Matthew 13 we seean identification point that Jesustalks about in this parable.
Matthew 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. What did Daniel say, there will be a time of trouble such as never and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. .. 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; What is the brightest thing in the firmament? The sun? That is what the parable said. Can we see the connection the Bible makes? We understand there had to be a dividing of the wheat and tares starting from 1844. What else is to happen? Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, [even] to the time of the end : many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. What did the angel say to Daniel? Shut the book till the time of the end. What is the description of the angel who told Daniel to shut the book? We read this description in verse 6. He was clothed in linen. What colour is linen? White? Daniel 12:5 Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. 12:6 And [one] said to the man clothed in linen, which [was] upon the waters of the river, How long [shall it be to] the end of these wonders? 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which [was] upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever Here is a description of a person standing on water by the bank of a river where Daniel was. He was dressed in white and he lifted up his hand and swore by God.
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Daniel 10:4 And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which [is] Hiddekel; 10:5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins [were] girded with fine gold of Uphaz: 10:6 His body also [was] like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. What did His face look like? It looked like lightening. He was clothed in white, and swore by him that lives forever, and was standing on the water. He had polished brass legs, dark orange like a flame of fire, and his voice was loud. Revelation 10:1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud [colour of cloud is white]:and a rainbow [was] upon his head, and his face [was] as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: [what colour is fire?] 10:2 And he had in his hand a little book open [was it closed or open] In the book of Daniel this person dressed in white with a shining face and legs of polished brass was holding a book. Was it closed or open? It was closed. Now we see the book is open. Revelati on 10:2 And he had in his hand a little book open and he set his right foot upon the sea, [water – John the Revelator was on the isle of Patmos surrounded by the ocean] and [his] left [foot] on the earth, 10:3 And cried with a loud voice, as [when] a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. 10:5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 10:6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: Have we come to the end of the time? The angel with a very similar description held the open book. Daniel’s book was closed.
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Revelation 10:8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go [and] take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. 10:9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take [it], and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. 10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. What is it called when a book is opened and eaten? Digestion. Readers Digest? One takes the information from the book and assimilates it and as one makes it his or hers and he or she will start proclaiming it. Verse 11 it says he was prophesying. This little book was a prophetic book. According to the book of Daniel a proclamation was made but were they to get it wrong or right? They were to get it wrong. It was bitter or a disappointment for the sweetness to turn bitter in the belly. It was a great disappointment. An angel said shut the book until the time of the end. What was to occur in the time of the end; the harvest? When this little book was open and proclaimed by early Adventists, they taught that Jesus was coming in 1844. Where did they base their prophecy; from the book of Daniel? They thought the cleansing of the sanctuary was the coming of Jesus. They were incorrect in their understanding. The cleansing of the sanctuary is separating the wheat from the tares. God is identifying who is following him or not. The hour of God’s judgement is to come is a judgment to decide between one and the other. What message did these early Adventists share? What did they preach? They preached a messagefrom Revelation 14:6. Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. According to the time of the end we need to have the following waymarks. It had to be after the breaking up of Rome, the setting up of the papacy, after the persecution the papists made against God’s people and 1798. Then there had to be the revelation of the book of Daniel because the book was sealed till the time of the end. There also had to be a great disappointment. This disappointment was based on an error in understanding the event in prophecy. They were told to prophesy again. If they had understood the event correctly in the first place, they would not have needed to prophesy again. We also note that an angel gave the message of Revelation 14 verse 6. The time of the end is the harvest and the reapers are the angels. How many angels are there? Page 14 of 17 http://scribd.com/sabbathsermons/
Revelation 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. We see three angels giving their messagesNotice the work of the third angel; Revelation 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, Does that sound like weeping and gnashing of teeth? If you drink of this error you will be destroyed. Revelation 14:10 …which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; When is his indignation; it is right at the end? Revelation 14:10 and he shall be tormented with fire [what happened to the tares in the parable;] and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: When the angels reap they throw the tares into the fire. The angels are watching as this is their work. Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever : and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here are all the tares. According to the parable who did the angels collect first? The tares? Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints : here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. What does the third angel do? He identifies those who follow the world and the beast and who drink from the wine-cup and those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Does this separating happen in the last 5 minutes before Jesus comes or does it take some generations before Jesuscomes?What does it say in verse 13? Revelation 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed [are] the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth : Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. Will people die? The harvest begins and people pass away so there was to be a period over multiple generations. Page 15 of 17 http://scribd.com/sabbathsermons/
Revelation 14:14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud [one] sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 14:15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 14:16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. 14:17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. 14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast [it] into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand [and] six hundred furlongs. After reading these verses people say it is the harvest. What was to happen? There was to be a time of harvest where they were to gather the wheat and bound in bundles. Where is the wheat to go now? After the completion of the harvest what is to take place? The wheat was to go into the barn, in heaven. The Son of man took the wheat to heaven and the other bundles were gathered and burned. To which bundle are we binding?
The Th ree Angels Messages The three angel’s messages are to distinguish the two classes to start this separating process. It has already begun. Can we use that as the reason why there should be wrong in the church? When we say the wheat and tares must stay together until the harvest, it is missing the time. Judgement has started, it has not finished yet. The harvest has not yet been completed but when it is complete people will cry, “The harvest is past and the summer ended and we are not saved.” There is a principle that like attracts like. We automatically are being drawn to people with whom we are naturally comfortable. To whom are we being drawn and in what bundle are we being bound? These are serious questions. Are we being drawn to people who love the Lord with all their heart and rely on every word that proceeds from God’s mouth? Or are we joining with the half-hearted in their walk? Are we connecting with people who are Page 16 of 17 http://scribd.com/sabbathsermons/
only lukewarm? We cannot use the excuse the wheat and tares must stay together till the harvest any longer. The harvest has not finished but by the time it has, many people will still be waiting for it to begin. Just like the Jewsare still waiting for Jesus' first coming, they did not know the time of their visitation. Amen
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