THE GREAT HARVEST

"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. 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. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped."—Rev. 14 :14-16.

In natural life the work of sowing seed and the resulting harvest are demonstrative realities which ought to teach us to grasp the sowing work of God and to broaden our views in preparation for the inevitable harvest mentioned in our text. The seedtime of the gospel—the revival carried out by the Spirit of God and the sowing of the seed into the heart of man—is just as mild and pleasant as the natural seedtime of spring. But the sickle, the heat of the harvest time, the violent handling of the seed and the weeds during the harvest, the threshing, and the burning of the weeds, ought to give us an idea concerning a trying harvest lying before the seeded people now living, which harvest must neces­sarily follow the long seedtime of the gospel. Think of the Son of man in the cloud with his sickle in his hand—a cloud of mes­sengers—harvestmen! In order to reveal the significance of the harvest movement to us, also its power and effect on earth, we shall discuss the harvest acts as they are described by the Son of man himself in the parable of the tares.

The Tares and the Wheat

He says, "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."—

Mat. 13:30.

This parable is history given beforehand concerning the dual har­vest movement of God. The foreshadow cast from the approaching reality overtook old Israel at the time of Christ's first advent, and included the destruction of Jerusalem. But the real fulfillment, according to the Master's explanation given in the words, "As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world," cannot be applied to the Judah and Jerusalem of old.

The expression, "the end of this world," has been interpreted to mean the end of everything. It has also been said that the parable was fulfilled at the time of Christ's first advent. The ex­pression itself is enough to refute this antichristian interpreta­tion and to show that the parable is a prophecy concerning a har­vest movement still before us, because "the end of this world" has not yet occurred. It is the world of man, this present kingdom, which man under the inspiration of the serpent has created, that is to be destroyed. The 'kingdom of God is to be born, appearing in a new garment and with new power; and it will exist forever.

The translators have led minds astray by translating the Greek word aion to world. A Greek does not mean the world when he says aion, but the age. In the Bible the context determines what age is referred to—whether the Jewish, the Christian, that is, the age of the nations, or the Messianic. The harvest work mentioned in this parable is to be carried out at the end of the present Christian age.

God appointed an age consisting of about 1900 years for the natural seed of Abraham. When the people reached the end of that period, the harvest took place, which harvest extended from the time ci Christ to the destruction of Jerusalem, so that when Christ—constituting the uniting link between the Jew and the Gentile, and between Jehovah and man—hung on the cross, one of his arms extended as it were back through the time of the old ministration, and the other measured off a similar period for the new ministration.

The parable places before our minds seven different points, namely,

• (1) The Kingdom of Heaven;

• (2) The Time of the Fruit;

• (3) The Slumbering Period;

• (4) The Sower and the Good Seed;

• (5) The Bundles of Tares;

• (6) The Harvest; and

• (7) The Barn.

• The Kingdom of Heaven. The kingdom of heaven signifies the development of the power of the Word of God among men; in other words, it is the gospel kingdom where the children of God are reared. This is clearly revealed when the seven parables, con­tained in the same chapter as the above quoted parable, are compared with Mat. 25 :1-12. In this latter text the going out of the ten, virgins to meet the Bridegroom is presented as a prophetic demonstration of power at a certain time; even so is the case with all parables. It was prophesied of Christ, "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world."—Mat. 13 :35.

At the end of the age of the Gentiles, the present age, the secret power of God will take utterance according to the following allegorical language: "The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also." (Mat. 13:24-26.) The foregoing parable of the sower covers the time extending between the first and second advents of Christ, up to the time of the beginning of the harvest. The movement of the parable of our text is therefore like a man which had sowed good seed in his field. The seedtime is past, and the result is getting ripe when the parable begins to speak.

• The Time of the Fruit. The servants who discover the tares in the field are the servants of prophecy, who call those already invited to the marriage of the Prince. If we compare the natural likeness of the sowing of seed with the religious movements, re­vivals, and conversions, which have proclaimed during the past eighty years the coming of Christ, and which have constituted the wedding invitation of the Lamb to the people of all countries, we find a striking resemblance.

A spiritual summer has effected an exodus on a large scale from the old state church institutions, and new religious groups are visible, which have assumed the loftiest heights of the profes­sion of Christianity. And the thought concerning these has been, that since these believers are "the children of God," nothing but good can be found among them. However, after having viewed the fruit of faith of these "saved," any person zealous for truth and righteousness has every reason to inquire, "Lord, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?" Faith's ripe fruit of righteousness is sought for, but in most instances only hypocrisy, greed, and selfishness are found.

It is almost impossible to believe that Satan has been able to play the part of savior too, and that he has conducted universal revival movements. Many are there who have endeavored to cleanse these religious people from unrighteous and improper things, but they have become disappointed, and have been compelled to ask: What kind of seed is this, and how long shall it continue to grow' Jesus answers, "An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 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."—Mat. 13:28-30.

Here Christ reveals the chief cause of the prevailing religious ruin. His "enemy" has taken charge of the work of salvation and his seed has smothered the good seed. The two kinds of seed are developed together until the harvest sickle mows down the field.

• 3. The Slumbering Period. The slumbering period occurs after a spiritual spring. The message of the coming of Christ began to go forth to all countries about 1840, when a man here in the United States by the name of William Miller began to preach the prophetic Word. The Seventh Day Adventists claim this to repre­sent "the message of the first angel," but is was only a foreshadow of that now impending act. At that time the whole Christian world was affected by a penetrating religious power, which led people to the belief of the soon coming of Christ. Missionaries hurried in all directions, and the missionary endeavors and achievements of the Christians among the heathens may be dated from that time.

The believers sold their possessions and assumed a position like that of the first church, namely, that of waiting for the revela­tion of the Bridegroom. But "the Bridegroom tarried," and be­cause of that fact the disappointed ones are ridiculed to this very day. But the movement was a literal fulfillment of Mat. 25:1-5, signalizing that "the time of the end," divided into two acts, was at hand. Since that time a movement of conversion has swept over all countries like mighty waves. In some countries even small children and common people suddenly appeared and preached. This is now regarded as a malady. It cannot be denied that both good and evil spirit powers affected the people during that time. There were many God-loving readers of the Scriptures who par­took in that movement, and when their ardor cooled, and they be­came stagnant in their profession of faith, the slumbering time commenced. They lay down to rest in peace and—to feast in their dead churches.

The reading of the Bible gradually decreased, and a camping condition, so to speak, began. Now Bible readers are grouped off by religious fakers, who proselyte, organize, and prescribe regula­tions. They do not advance from one truth to another, from clear light to still clearer light, nor do they sell their possessions and stand ready for the journey; but they buy, build, and make luxurious preparations for a long future. "They all slumbered and slept." They add house to house, they plant, marry, and devote their time to the erection of more modern temples and stone palaces. No longer is it unknown apostles who come and preach to the people, but hired, machine-made sectarian shepherds, who have full "authority to preach." The camps are arranged modernly and popularly, and the beds made soft.

The shepherds' lullabies concerning "the grace of God" and the "dear and loving Jesus" now contain one hundred per cent more sleep-producing anesthetics than the stagnant sermons of the old state church ministers fifty years ago. They conduct "revival meetings" which in themselves are an acknowledgment that sleep­ing in the camp is virtually painful.

• 4. The Sower and the Good Seed. The Master himself explains the parable and says, "IJ.e that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels."-Mat. 13 :37-39.

a. The Son of man represents the personified Word of God. First of all this refers to the Nazarene, and then to those who resemble him in life and doctrine. These speak the Word of God, not fables. They emulate their Master, giving their lives and all they own for the enlightenment of the people. Their lives and doctrine cause an exodus from stagnant spirituality, and induce a searching of the Scriptures, also fasting, prayer, and a renuncia­tion of enjoyment and worldly positions. These partake of the sufferings of Christ, and his words are fulfilled on them: "Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice." (John 16:20.) No wage-taker represents the Master, because it is impossible for anyone to become his disciple without assuming a position in rela­tion to him such as he himself mentions in Luke 14:27-33. If a person will not learn from the Master, it is impossible for him to become Christ's personified Word on his visible mouthpiece.

The field is the world. The unspoiled man of nature, who has not been captured by religion, whether good or bad, resembles a cultivable, untilled field, from which the owner expects no har­vest, but which brings forth good plants of itself. In the Scrip­tures these are termed "sinners," who are called to repentance and salvation.

The good seed are the children of the kingdom. When the Word of faith is preached, these understand it and are planted in the vineyard of God in order to bear fruit and walk according to the admonitions of the Word of God. They grow up in wisdom and power, and become established in obedience to the truth in spite of contradiction and distress. They conquer their carnal desires and suppress the development of a fleshly mind. The king­dom of God is their goal--they live in hope and faith, longing for its appearance. Their endeavors are concentrated on a complete purification of themselves through the mercy seat established by the blood of Jesus. His commandment, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Mat. 5:48), inspires them to continue their good work. The words of James, "If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man," con­stitute the rule by which they measure their growth. These consist of the Word of God and are consequently the children of the kingdom.

The enemy is the devil. It is easy for us to understand that the devil does not appear in his own person when we consider that the Son of man no longer conducts his work personally, but that the Word of God is personified by those who are actuated by the Spirit and Word of God. The devil is the father of lie, as God is the Father of truth, and when anyone speaks a lie he is inspired by the spirit of Satan, the liar. (John 8:44.) Satan is the father of all the preachers of falsehood and deceit.

The devil founded his gospel kingdom when he preached his first sermon in Paradise, namely, "Ye shall not surely die"—eat all you want to. His evangelists now say, "Your immortal soul goes to heaven when you die," "You can be saved after death," and so forth, or "Jesus will come at Easter," or at this or that time, and "He will bring you to the glorious land in heaven." When revival meetings are held, and conversions are being effected by virtue of such lies as these, the "savior" immediately counts those who "are born again" and claims he has gained so many thousand, hundred, or dozen "immortal souls" for heaven. The Son of man, on the other hand, sows the Word of God and, like the natural sower, waits for sprouts to shoot forth, then ears, and afterwards seed, as a result of the creative power contained in the Word of God.

Paul says that Satan transforms himself into an angel of light, and his ministers to ministers of righteousness and apostles of Christ; inwardly, however, they are ravening wolves seeking spoils. These are the ones who have conducted revival meetings, collected large offerings, and received high salaries.

e. The tares are the children of the wicked one. The tares, or weeds, are sown in the same manner as the good seed. When the Word of God is preached, the Spirit of God convinces the hearer of sin, and God draws that individual to the Son. When he has come to the Son, he is led of him to learn to know the Father, and when he abandons the way of transgressions, and obeys the Word he understands, he is received through Christ as an adopted child of the Father. This is how God begets the children of his king­dom, which he, through the resurrection as demonstrated on Christ, will give birth to and clothe with incorruptibility on the great day of the restoration of the world—all because the Word of ever­lasting life has assumed form in them.

The tares, however, are not begotten of the Word of God. They are begotten through believing falsehood, and because of obedience to the words of men; such are adopted by the father of lie, not by the God of Logos. When a famous preacher arrives in a city where the servants of Christ have been successful in obtaining permission to speak, after much opposition and many sacrifices, all doors in that place are opened for the renowned wonder-worker, and spiritual refreshment is looked for.

This converter is a Methodist, or he may be connected with some other -ist, -dist, -tist, or salvation corporation. He is received with much rejoicing, the masses are invited, and the thing com­mences. His sermons carry no instruction to those who already believe, but are directed to outsiders, who are bombarded by all conceivable "stirring" appeals, such as, "Don't you wish to have your immortal soul saved this evening? Don't you see how hell is opening up under your feet? What if Jesus comes to-night? Come, you lost sinner! Come here and kneel down before me! That's it; say Jesus now, and then you're saved!"

Hypnotized by the bewitching spirit of the magician, the sin-laden hearers rush to the commanding savior; yea, they are even dragged forth to him where they receive his, "Now you are a child of God; go in peace! Only believe that you are saved, and all will be well with you !" This is called "bringing souls to Jesus." Similar scenes are enacted in all sectarian congregations of Christen­dom. And the result is that honest, God-loving Bible readers, who formerly lived in harmony with their confession, are drowning in the superficial flood of salvation. This flood has filled all churches with a multitude of "saved," who bear no resemblance, however, to the class that eighty years ago sacrificed all they had, and suffered persecution and scorn for Christ's sake. Then the Word contained life, faith, wisdom, brotherly love for them; and a serious, truth-seeking, praying people appeared; but now the "saved" are extremely ignorant of the Word of God. One of these may be so gluttonous that he will die as a result of his excesses, while the widow of his own spiritual brother may die of starvation at the very door of this "saved" millionaire.

The newly converted seize the reigns in the temples. Festivals, concerts, auctions, and superficial doings expel loyalty, unity, and the fear of God from the camps of the spiritually minded. If the poor are to receive anything, trumpets have to be blown. If these churchgoers are to pray, a "prayer week" has to be announced so that the churchgoers will be noticed on the streets and in the churches during that time. What a farce! The disciples of Christ feel the need of holding a prayer year.

Who has sown this seed? Greedy men, usurers, braggarts, un­merciful beings, whoremongers, yea, even murderers, are dis­covered in the very pulpits. Has the Father of the Word of life begotten these weeds? No! But through a counterfeit power the father of lie has made evil, unreligious beings his children by spiritualizing them through the means of a false gospel. And he has planted them in so-called "houses of God," where they have elevated the scepter of Antichrist above the testimonies of Jesus and the prophetic Word of God. They even boast of their sins.-2 Thes. 2:3-12.

Zizania. The word tares is translated from the Greek word zizania, signifying false wheat—workers of iniquity, described in Mat. 7:21-23. An historian who traveled through Palestine asked his guide to show him the plant called zizania; and soon they ar­rived at a wheat field. "Here," said the guide, "the field is full of zizania." "But," said the traveler, "I see nothing but wheat." It was in the time of harvest, and the kernels were well developed. He was told to feel of the kernels, and then he discovered how remarkable was the parable Christ had, used. This traveler de­scribes zizania as follows: "The ears and plants have the same appearance as wheat or barley, but the ears, the full, well formed ears, contain only small kernels unfit for food. When I have shown my friends some of this deceitful zizania, they have all taken it for wheat or barley." What a descriptive picture of the hypo­crites, who promise much but do little—"children of the devil"!

It is just as wrong to designate as children of Satan natural human beings who profess no religion at all, as it is wrong to say that birds, fishes, and animals are the products of Satan. Natural people can be led of human tares to persecute the children of God and serve Satan, but they will not be his children until he has given them birth, so to speak, by his spirit power. Then they are able to commit the most terrible crimes, and at the same time thank God that they "are saved."

• The Bundles of Tares. These bundles of tares are made up of those who are registered in the sect books, who surround the sect name, as it were, by virtue of rules and regulations con­stituting appendages to the Word of God. If anyone break the rules, he is pointed out as an apostate. If he defend himself by the Word of God, he is called a haughty, puffed-up scribe; he is not permitted to speak in his own defense—he is thrown out of "the church of God."

The sect names have so totally crowded out the name of the Father that a person is not considered religious unless he carry some one of them, acknowledge that one, and worship under it. Salvation and persecution are carried out in the strength of these sect names. The object of their salvation propaganda is to manu­facture the various patented kinds of proselytes, and no other re­ligious activity is tolerated. This is a perfect mate of the old patented sect bundles of Judaism, on the trade marks of which were stamped "Pharisee," "Saducee," and so forth. Sect regula­tions and names bind the people into bundles. The gospel of the Son of God, on the other hand, unites all who believe it into one as brethren in the truth.

Now it is no longer the name Pharisee that gains recognition, but other more modern names. The results, however, are the same, and the position of the sectarian Christians of our time in relation to Christ is exactly the same as was that of the Pharisees, because Christ cannot become a Catholic, a Mormon, a Salvation Army soldier, a Baptist, or an Adventist, any more than he could become a Pharisee. Here then the fruit of apostasy and the work of "the enemy" is clearly visible.

• The Harvest. The harvest time comprehends cutting and gathering in the products of the earth in the autumn. The fore­shadow is visible in the fate of the Jewish nation—in the bloody streets and smoking ruins of Jerusalem. The two opposing sowers divide what has grown on the religious field. The time of grace is not extended any longer for the liar—good must be separated from evil—the sickle mows down everything! As we approach the harvest time the sect ropes are drawn more tightly about the tares as a result of the fact that the servants of prophecy expose the conditions within these bundles, and then we again hear, "The person who acknowledges this man to be of God will be excommunicated from the church." The leaders are developed into a bloodthirsty two-horned beast, which slays Christ in his members in the name of Jesus.

Cain and Abel, the first sacrificing brothers, were at the very door of Paradise, but Cain disliked Abel's fear of God. And when he perceived that God approved of Abel's sacrifice and scorned his own, he determined that Abel should die. The brothers of Cain now make common cause with the Catholic power and incite the ten-horned beast against what they call "revolutionists," and the little lambs of the kingdom of God have to submit them­selves to be slaughtered. The power of prayer in appealing to their gods is tried on both sides.

a. "The reapers are angels." The word angel comes from the Greek word angelos, meaning messenger. It includes both visible and invisible servants of Christ. When Christ had sent his disciples abroad in the prefiguring harvest, he said, "I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labor: other men labored, and ye have entered into their labors." (John 4:38.) When the Lord returns, disciples and angels will accompany him, and this is the "cloud" he will sit on when the sickle is put in motion on earth. The drought foretold in Rev. 11 will then commence. Because of the power of the reapers, the tares are forced closer together within the sect enclosures of falsehood and deceit. Thus the image of Rev. 13 is formed. People begotten of the word and spirit of lie can do nothing but call God Satan, for they 'know not God.

• 7. The Barn. The barn is connected with the threshing floor. The wheat is gathered there to be threshed and winnowed. The threshing floor is outside the camps and territory of the sect bundles; now it constitutes the threshing floor of the heathens until each kernel of wheat is separated from the straw, and from the chaff that encloses it. When David had committed the great sin of counting the people, and God had slain seventy thousand of the children of Israel, lie was shown where to erect an altar of atonement, where God promised to listen to his prayer. The place was "in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite." There he built the altar. Afterwards the temple was built there, and finally Jerusalem.—See 1 Chron. 21st and 22nd chapters.

John the Baptist said of his successor, "He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Mat. 3:11, 12.) Christ was in the garner, or barn, when he ap­peared against the sect bundles of his time. How was he received? "Ornan," meaning "accursed seed," treated him as seed under the flail. When the winnowing-fan of the Lord was in activity, one "believer" after the other disappeared by virtue of the power of truth, which penetrated to their very lives. They became offended and said, "This is a hard saying; who can hear it?" (John 6:60.) And he asked the twelve if they too desired to leave him.—V. 67.

The sanctified of God undergo chastening on this threshing floor, and are separated from everything lacking foundation in the Word of God. There they receive the scourges of the unright­eous, and there they are hurled through the door of Golgotha—if they are heavy enough to go through; otherwise they fall at the side of it, or fail to get even that far. Light seed, weed seed, and chaff fall about or behind the winnower. The winnowing is con­ducted in the face of the wind, light objects following the wind. The parable is clear and decisive. Lot's wife was placed in the valley of separation as a warning to us that we should use our allotted time to good advantage so as not to forget the Word of God in the hour of danger—because even Satan sifts the wheat.—See Luke 22:31.

The work of John the Baptist is resumed by the forerunner of Christ in his second advent, namely, by Elijah in Zion—outside of the cities. Then the harvest heat and the three and one-half years' drought commence. This is the voice that cries from the temple of Zion to the One sitting on the cloud, the One command­ing the angels, to thrust his sickle into the harvest. He does this because the servants of the Word of God are then suppressed to the utmost in all communities. The servants of Christ say in anguish, "What shall I cry [or preach] ?" And the Lord answers, "All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever."—Isa. 40 :6-8.

The great sickle becomes active among the masses, who re­semble grass; arid the seed of the serpent, the zizania class, perse­cute the Word in flesh until the leading ones among them become as grapes full of blood. The foolish virgins are as light as chaff, and are led here and there by their own filthy inclinations. The good seed, however, fills the required weight of the measure. All four kinds are mowed down. When the number of sacrifices on the altar of Jehovah is fulfilled, and the sealing of the testimony of Christ is accomplished in the death of his two witnesses, the temple of God will open. The sickles increase in number, the saints get power over fire, and the harvest of the grapes is at hand. The oracle of God says, "And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 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. 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. 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."—Rev. 14:17-20.

This closing scene is called the time of wrath. The servants of Christ then receive power to cast out of the kingdom of God all who have practiced deceit, abominations, and violence, for then the last act of the parable will be fulfilled, which is described as follows: "The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they :,hall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."—Mat. 13: 41, 42.

May we be found worthy of being winnowed out from the bundles of tares, regardless of what name they may have, and receive power over our own flesh, that we may establish a firm covenant with the Mighty One in the cloud, who thrusts his sickle into the harvest! This is the road leading to the confidence of God—blessed is he who wins that confidence! The following pos­sibilities are placed before them through the prophet, who says, "For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the judgment written: this honor have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord."—Psalm 140:4-9.

Blessed be the benevolent Father of Israel and our Lord and King, who because of his great mercy delivers us from our enemies, cleanses his kingdom, and heals our crushed hearts with the ever­lasting power of life!