ABOUT ANGELS 7

Posted on by BETH

One very interesting fact about angels is found in Matthew 13:37-42.  Notice that angels have another job besides being messengers.

He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

 OBSERVATIONS ABOUT EACH VERSE:

37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; {{has to have started sewing the seed on Pentecost}}

38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; {{Good seed and tares have to have started on Pentecost}}

39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

  • {{Satan sowed his seed from the beginning of the kingdom on Pentecost}}
  • {{HARVEST: has to be the after the end of this world – 2nd coming}}
  • {{REAPERS: also has to be after this world ends – after Jesus comes again}}

40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.{{He notes that this is “in the end of this world”}}

41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; {{If this event happens before Judgment, then none of the evil that was in his kingdom will be judged}}

42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. {{Again, if these souls are cast into the Lake of Fire before the Judgment, they have no judgment.}}

43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. {{And once again – this can’t be before Judgment for all of us will stand in Judgment and bow before Jesus – Rom 14:11}}

Another instance where the angels work for the departed souls is found in Luke 16:20-22.  “And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”

We cannot speculate whether angels carried the rich man to hell (torments). We do know that angels that sinned were in hell in 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6.  We know also that His angels will have work at the second coming – after he judges them – so that they are fully qualified to enter the eternal habitations (1 Cor. 6:3).

Angels are able to transport all souls from this world to the next (Matt. 24:31). “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

HE WHO SLEEPS IN HARVEST

Posted on by BETH

“He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame” (Prov. 10:4-5).

Even on a literal level, we see that the son of the husbandman is expected to enter into labor with others, and to reap where they have sown. For him to sleep when the harvest lies ready for the sickle is the most extreme laziness and indeed a great shame to his father.

A similar passage dealing with the harvest of souls is found in 1 Corinthians. Paul says, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building” (1 Cor. 3:6-9).

We all have a job to do, and certainly we do not want to be a shame to our Heavenly Father—the husbandman of souls. Our part may be to water or to glean where others have sewn, but the Lord will still require that “harvest” at our hand. Remember that the fields are white unto harvest and we must not deal with a slack hand (John 4:35). Why? Because “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

QUESTIONS:

1. Physically, what must anyone do to reap a harvest?

2. Spiritually, what must someone do in order to reap a spiritual harvest?

3. In whose vineyard have we been called to work (1 Cor. 3:9)?

4. According to Mat. 13:18-23, what does one sow in order to reap a good harvest?

5. What did Paul do in order to reap a great harvest in Corinth (1 Cor. 3:5-8)?

6. What would have happened to Paul if he had not sown the seed (1 Cor. 9:16-17)?

7. Does it matter what the sower and the reaper think as they sow and reap (1 Cor. 9:16-17)?

8. Does it matter how hard or how wisely a person works to get a harvest (1 Cor. 3:8, 10)?

9. What did Apollos do in order to reap a great harvest in Corinth (1 Cor. 3:5-8)?

10. How many does the Lord expect to be involved in sowing the seed (Heb. 5:12)?

11. What kind of son or daughter are we if we do not sow in the spring and reap in the harvest?

12. When do we receive a reward for what we have sown and reaped (Luke 14:13-14)?

13. Who is blessed with the greatest reward, the sower or the reaper (1 Cor. 3:5-8)?

14. Does it matter who reaps or who sows (John 4:36-37)?

15. Are we required to sow what we reap in order to gain a reward (John 4:36-38)?

WILL YOU BEG IN HARVEST?

Posted on by BETH

“The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing” (Pro. 20:4).

What happens when a person plows in the cold weather?  Is he without pain or trouble? If he waits until there is no discomfort in his work, he won’t often work. If we only preach the word at a convenient time, we are not plowing in the cold.  We are told to: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tim. 4:2).

Worldly people will force us to conform to their ways unless we are willing to suffer their hatred and scorn to follow Christ and His commands.  “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Rom. 12:2).

Jesus refused to be conformed to the world, but his brothers fell to the temptation!  Jesus told them, “The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil” (John 7:7).

We must be willing to stand for Jesus even in the cold and even when the world hates us. “And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.  But there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls (Luke 21:16-19).

We need to use the spiritual plow in cold weather and well as good weather. We should not be like the sluggard who has nothing when the harvest comes.

QUESTIONS:
1. A slothful man is said to be idle, lazy, sluggish (Prov 15:19; 26:13-15). The Book of Proverbs contrasts two paths, or ways of life: the way of wisdom and the way of folly. The slothful man is foolish, while the diligent, hard-working person is wise.  Compare the references for the sluggard with those of the slothful man.  How do they compare?

2. What is a sluggard?  Describe what a sluggard does (Prov. 6:6-11).

3. Using the same passage, tell how the ant is different?

4. Why might a sluggard use the excuse that there is a lion in the streets (Prov 26:13-16)?  How does this compare to a backsliding Christian who says he “has a headache” and therefore cannot come to services?

5. What is it like to send a sluggard to do a job (Prov. 10:26)?

6. Consider Proverbs 13:4 and see how many applications from everyday life you can make to this verse.

7. Explain what is meant by Proverbs 26:16.

8. Why did the people in Joshua’s time not go in to possess the land God said he had given them (Judges 18:9)?

9. What will happen to those who are slothful (Prov. 12:24)?

10. Sometimes it is easy to see a person’s fault, but we may not know how to apply New Testament scripture to teach him to be better.  Using the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30), explain the basic problem with the one talent man.  Then apply Romans 12:11 and Hebrews 6:12 to show how someone like that might be encouraged to please the Lord.