Today, we spent a portion of the class reviewing the issue of different gospels for different dispensations, or times of God dispensing his grace to mankind in different manners. (Hebrews 1:1-4) The gospel of the kingdom was a different gospel than the gospel of the grace of God given to Paul. We saw in Matthew 10:6-7, Mark 6:12, and Luke 9:6 Jesus sent the apostles out to preach the kingdom of heaven was at hand to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
In Matthew 16:21-23 Jesus reveals the need to go up to Jerusalem to fulfill Old Testament prophecies concerning his passion. Peter rebukes him, because they were focused on the messianic kingdom, not the suffering of the Messiah for the sins of the people. Of course, Jesus had to put him in his place. Later, in Matthew 20:17-19, Mark 10:32-34, and Luke 18:31-33, Jesus reminds the disciples that he is going to Jerusalem to be scourged, tortured, and crucified, and that he would be raised from the dead three days later, exactly what Paul's gospel stated nearly word for word in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
How did the disciples receive his message?
Luke 18:34: And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
Folks, please do not get drawn into the belief that the gospel (good news) was the same in every dispensation. The gospel record is clear that the kingdom gospel before the cross is different than the gospel of the grace of God after the cross.
As to the harvest that is discussed in the parable of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43), we are given several key truths:
1. The kingdom of heaven is the literal, physical kingdom that Messiah King Jesus will rule when he returns. This is not the rapture of the body of Christ, which occurs before Daniel's 70th week. 2. The field is the world, the good seed are the children of the kingdom, and the sower is the Son of man, the Lord himself. 3. The tares are the children of the devil, who sows them into the field. 4. The harvest occurs at the end of the time of man, or the end of the world. This is clearly speaking of the end of the tribulation when the 2nd Advent occurs. 5. The tares are removed first, bundled and cast into the furnace of fire, then the wheat is gathered into the barn, which is a metaphor for the kingdom.
We have looked at the different harvests concerning the first resurrection: the first fruits harvest which occurred at the resurrection of Christ in Matthew 27:51-53 and Ephesians 4:8-10. This is the harvest of the Old Testament saints.
The main harvest will occur at the rapture of the Church Age saints which is the next big event on God's divine calendar. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:50-54
The gleanings harvest will occur in the tribulation. It will consist of Jews and Gentiles alike, who receive the message of the laborers of the harvest – the two witnesses and the 144,000 Jewish missionaries.
Also, there will be a harvest of the wicked being systematically removed from the kingdom when Messiah King Jesus returns. He will remove all things that offend! The tares are a picture of that removal process. Matthew 7:21-23 is another picture of the removal process that will occur at the 2nd Advent. We will see more pictures of this time of harvest as we walk through these parables, as well as the Olivet discourse in Matthew 24 & 25. Revelation 14 gives graphic detail of the harvesting of souls that will go on at the end of the tribulation. We will continue our study of the parables concerning the leaven and the mustard seed, and more next week.
