Judgment Day is coming, and on that day, God will separate the truly saved from the lost. The saved are those who’ve bowed their knees to Jesus Christ as Lord and have repented of their sins. The lost are those who’ve never ever come to know Jesus as Savior. They may know of or about Him, but they do not have a personal relationship with Him. If you have never been saved, then this ought to scurry you to repentance and humility before God. The most serious question in life is: Am I a child of God? Have I been born form above? Have I truly believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Do you play with God as though it’s not a big deal? Do you give God lip service; yet, your heart is far from Him? Your very soul is at stake!
Jesus tells a parable which describes both lost and saved living together in the earth, and when Jesus returns, many are going to be surprised. Many who thought they were good enough to go to heaven will actually be sent to the Lake of Fire. Many are depending upon their good works, but good works will not save anyone. You must be born from above (John 3:3). Those who end up in Hell are those who’ve never been birthed by the Spirit of God (birthed into the family of God by faith).
Here’s the reality of it all. First, there is a great conflict (vs. 24-25, 37). That conflict is between the Son of God and the Devil, but this whole story is likened unto the kingdom of Heaven (of God). The kingdom is God’s rule, reign, or domain over all reality but especially in our world, but there is a rebel who has resisted God’s domain from the beginning. The Son of God is the Sower and the field is this world. He is currently sowing His children as seed in His field. God’s children have been scattered in every nation on the earth. They are scattered among every tongue, tribe, kingdom, and clan. The church continues the ministry of preaching the gospel and it is currently moving, infiltrating, and meshing throughout the whole world.
Second, there is the crop. The Son of God has an arch enemy, the Devil. While the Gospel seed is being scattered throughout the earth, the Devil is busy planting tares, bad seed, in God’s fields. Tares look just like wheat. They both have grain heads, and the only way to tell them apart is to break them open. Therefore, God’s local churches contain both lost and saved people. Just because you may have walked down the church isle, taken the pastor by the hand, and prayed a little prayer doesn’t mean you have truly been born from above. On the other hand, if you did repent of your sins, call upon Christ by faith and accept Him, you are now His; but, only you and God know truth of the matter. Therefore, are you wheat or are you a tare. You may act like a Christian, talk like a Christian, hold a Christian office in your church, teach a Sunday school class, or be a deacon or a pastor, but if you have never been born from above by faith in Jesus Christ, you, friend, are a tare. You are still a child of the wicked one and have never met God. The enemy uses his children in the church to disrupt, divide, hinder, and destroy the work of God.
Third, there is a situation at hand. The children of God and the children of the devil co-exist in the world, and no one has the right to go through God’s fields deciding who is a wheat stalk and who is a tare. Both plants grow in the world and their roots intertwine. If you were to try and snatch up the tares, you’d pull up wheat too and destroy the whole crop; therefore, the Son of God instructs his laborers to allow all the plants to grow until harvest.
Fourth, on that day, the reapers will separate the real from the fake. The reapers are God’s angels. They will gather every single tare from the field throw them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. There will be no end to their torment. These are all of those who practiced lawlessness and caused others to stumble.
Last, God’s eternal kingdom will be in full bloom. The righteous, those who’ve obeyed the Gospel having been born from above, will shine forth as the sun. We, who love God, seek His face, and draw near unto Him in worship will finally see our heavenly Father’s face. We shall reflect the glory of His majesty forever.
Finally, April 27, 2011 was a day of destruction, fear, and loss. When the storm warning sirens went off, my family and many others fled to the basement of First Baptist Church. As the storm moved over the building, I could actually feel pressure on my eardrums. After the storm passed, I walked out the back door of the facility and saw destruction and chaos beyond description. All of Phil Campbell, as far as I knew, was gone. That day, life changed for so many, but that destruction doesn’t compare with the destruction that the lost person will face on Judgment Day. After they are sentenced to the lake of fire, every lost soul will cry out for mercy, but there will be no mercy. Many will voice excuses about rejecting the Gospel. They will even blame others, but the ultimate blame lies at the sinners owe feet. Before that day arrives, call upon Jesus in faith, believe upon Him, cast yourself upon Him because He will pardon and forgive.
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