| Harvests The Purpose of Harvests "The harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels."—Matthew 13:39 Samuel Stalder, Germany It is important for a correct understanding of God’s purposes with mankind to comprehend the times of harvest in the divine plan of the ages. That plan can be divided into three dispensations with the following nine sequential periods of time:
In this article we will consider the three harvest periods indicated in Scriptures: those of the Jewish and Gospel ages as well as the "Little Season." We will investigate the significance of a harvest and why God uses such a method in his dealings with mankind. We will also look at the connection between these harvests and how they differ from each other. What is a Harvest? A natural harvest is for the purpose of gathering in the crops. It is a time of great joy and blessings, though there is much work to do. Harvests are rather short time periods in God’s plan with four distinct characteristics:
A Change of Dealing God changes his dealings with mankind to accomplish the fulfillment of his purpose. Before the patriarchal age, he dealt with a few individuals. The flood led into the patriarchal age and God began to deal most specifically with a family of patriarchs and their wives. He made covenants with them, most notably, the Abrahamic Covenant. Later he made the Law Covenant with the nation of Israel. This was the beginning of the Jewish age. But God’s plan continues and is still continuing, and at times God changes the way by which he deals with different groups of mankind. At each of these remarkable changes God provided a harvest time to gather in a group of individuals from the past age who would begin the dealings under the new arrangements. The harvested ones are the "first fruits" or helpers of the new order and have a special purpose in God’s plan. It is for this reason that they are especially mentioned in God’s word.A Sifting Time "The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved" (Jer. 8:20 NIV). The first act in this work is to present the first fruits to the Lord: "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it" (Lev. 23:10, 11). It was after this that the regular harvesting began. This, however, is only typical. The antitypical firstfruits also require a separation. In Matthew 13:30, speaking of the harvest in the parable of the wheat and the tares, we read: "Let both grow together unto the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn" (NIV). Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary has an interesting explanation of this process: "The harvesting process began with the cutting of grain with a sickle (Deut. 16:9; Mark 4:29). Then it was gathered into sheaves. Next the grain was taken to the threshing floor, an important local site with a hard surface and often situated on higher ground. Various tools, such as metal-toothed sledges drawn by oxen, were used for threshing (Isa. 28:28; 41:15). Then the grain was winnowed, or tossed into the air, with a pitchfork. The wind carried off the chaff, but the heavier kernels and straw fell to the ground" (Matt. 3:12). So it will be with the wheat and the tares. They will be gathered out of the field (the Christian world) where they have grown side by side with imitation Christians. Even after the gathering they will be subject to various experiences, processes similar to threshing and winnowing, before they will be fully separated, not only from the tares or weeds, but also from the unusable chaff which so naturally clings to the wheat. Special Divine Revelations "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers to the harvest field" (Luke 10:2 NIV). The Lord is revealing himself to the workers by opening the plan of the incoming age to them. Many parables of the Lord concern the work of harvest. One of the most discussed is the parable of the "penny." "And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee" (Matt. 20:9-14), We are not now looking for a dispensational application of this parable. We are to observe the principle of the Lord, that he is constantly looking for workers and is revealing himself to them, so that they are called. The Lord let them understand that there is such a work to do. It is more than the wish to "evangelize" people of good will. It is consecration and cooperation with God himself and with the Lord of the harvest. A Time of Joy and Blessings "You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy, they rejoice before you as a people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder" (Isa. 9:3 NIV). The harvest is a special time of blessings. In a natural harvest, the blessings are shown in the farmer’s crop, and for the poor and afflicted receiving the leftovers or gleanings from the field. In the antitype there is a special blessing both in the work in the field and in the truths which the Lord reveals with his presence. We have not extended the examples in the chart below to include the Little Season at the end of the Messianic age because we now know very little about the ages to come which will follow this Little Season. Harvest Parallels There are parallels between the Jewish and Gospel harvests. The first advent of our Lord Jesus Christ ended at the end of the Jewish age, in the Jewish harvest. His second advent, in the manner of a thief in the night, is at theend of the Gospel age, in the Gospel harvest. He came at the first advent to establish his church; he comes again the second time as their bridegroom. Other parallels relate to the time aspects. The Jewish harvest lasted for forty years. Many anticipated that this would also be the length of the Gospel harvest. However time has shown that the Gospel harvest continues until the fullness of the church is come in: "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in" (Rom. 11:25). The Little Season The Little Season is different. We miss the identification of the harvest workers of that time. Some have styled the Little Season as a harvest because it is, in fact, a short period of judgment. "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Rev. 20:7-10). The Little Season is a dividing period of evil and good. Gog and Magog symbolize the evil forces led by Satan. The "camp of the saints" are those who are "harvested" into the "ages to come." Conclusion Harvests are the overlapping periods of the ages. They are necessary to bring the faithful ones into the barn, that is to say, to gather the "firstfruits" to change God’s dealings with humanity. Harvests are essential for the progress of the divine program. They bring the pain of separation along with the compensating blessings of more truths becoming available. The harvest workers enjoy this time, although there is little time to rest and plenty of work to do. We are now living in a harvest time and we can have a share in that blessed work. It is a joy for us to help in bringing "wheat" into the "barn" of the Lord. |