34Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables.35This fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet:“I will speak to you in parables.
I will explain things hidden since the creation of the world.”
36Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”
37Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed.38The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one.39The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.
40“Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world.41The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.42And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!
We need to be perfectly clear here – there is a heaven and a hell and some people will spend all eternity in each. We all want to see God as loving and kind and merciful, and he is, but he is also just. We do not know who around us will end up in either place, and it is not ours to judge, but we should be inspired by the certainty of judgement to bring Jesus to all those we come in contact with.
Yes, the weeds will be burned, but imagine what life in heaven will be like for a second. We will live in the Father’s Kingdom, and everything that causes sin will be gone. Imagine a life without temptation and sin. Imagine being surrounded by people who are without temptation or sin. Goodness would grow and explode from every single person. Goodness will finally explode from me. Ponder it for a moment. It sounds like…Heaven!
Lord God, help me live with the constant reality that someday there will be an eternal judgement. Help me be a beacon of Your love and hope and salvation. Keep me firmly in Your hand. Please use me in spite of my faults so no one is cast into the fiery furnace because I failed to show them Your love and life.
How does the prospect of people you love being cast into a fiery furnace change you?
What would be the best part of a world completely without sin and temptation? Beginner’s Online Bible Study *obbs*
What would be the best part of a world completely without sin and temptation? Beginner’s Online Bible Study *obbs*