Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/244

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During the Gospel age the good seed has been growing, and tares or counterfeits also. *: The good seed is the chil- dren of the kingdom, 15 the spiritual children, classes n and m> while "the tares are the children of the wicked one." All of class ^, and many of class /, are therefore "tares;" for "no man can serve two masters," and " his servants you are to whom you render service. ' ' As those in class / do not consecrate their service and talents to the Lord that bought them -a reasonable service doubtless they give much of their time and talent really in opposition to God, and hence in the service of the enemy.

Now notice on the chart the harvest or end of the Gos- pel age: notice the two parts into which it is divided * seven years and thirty-three years, the exa<5l parallel of the harvest of the Jewish age. This harvest, like the Jewish one, is to be first a time of trial and sifting upon the Church, and afterward a time of wrath or pouring out of the "seven last plagues " upon the world, including the nominal Church, The Jewish Church was the "shadow" or pattern on the fleshly plane of all that the Gospel Church enjoys on the spiritual plane. That which tried fleshly Israel in the har- vest of their age was THE TRUTH then presented to them. The truth then due was the sickle, and it separated the " Israelites indeed" from the nominal Jewish Church; and of the true wheat there was but a fragment compared to the professors. So also is the harvest of this age. The har- vest of the Gospel age, like that of the Jewish age, is under the supervision of the chief reaper, our Lord Jesus, who must then be present (Rev. 14: J4-) The first work of our Lord in the harvest of this age will be to separate the true from the false. The nominal Church, because of her mixed condition, the Lord calls "Babylon" confusion; and the harvest is the time for separating the different classes in the nominal Church, and for ripening and perfecting the

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