Matthew 13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
38 “The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
39 “The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, the reapers are the angels.
40 “Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
41 “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
42 “and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
In this parable Jesus spoke plainly about what will happen at the end of the age. He said that the wheat and tares would be left to grow together until the harvest. The harvest is the end of the age. This is a very important sign of the true end of this age. The end of the age has not yet come as long as the sons of the kingdom and the sons of the wicked one are on earth together.
The tares will be gathered and removed first. This truth must be emphasized again and again because so many have been taught for so long that the church will the raptured out first while the wicked are left behind.
Jesus’ explanation of this parable gives a very clear picture of the true sequence of the end-time events. The tares all being gathered out first means there will be a total removal of all things evil at the time of the end. The last enemy, death, will be destroyed at the resurrection of all of the dead. The words of the prophets, the apostles and the Lord Jesus all show the same thing. The book of Revelation brings it all together…
There are also many Scriptures that promise complete protection from all harm for the saints while the tares are being removed. In fact, they will not only be protected but will have part in the judgments written. (Psalm 149: 5-9; Revelation 2:26-28)
This will not fit some of the popular prophetic teaching of today about the last days. Therefore, those who believe the Christians will be taken out of the world first, before the wicked, must either ignore this parable, or try to say it does not apply to this age.
The Bible Scholar 