Thursday: Every Seed Produces a Harvest
In Revelation chapter 14 there are two harvests. The harvest of golden grain represents the righteous, and the harvest of gory grapes represents the unrighteous or the lost. Both harvests are fully ripe. Every seed sown is fully mature.
Read Revelation 14:17-20. What does the expression “the great winepress of the wrath of God” mean? See also Revelation 14:10, Revelation 15:1, and Revelation 16:1.
“Another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire” (Revelation 14:18, NKJV). Here is the angel who commands the fires of God’s final judgment. The harvest is ripe. Sin has reached its limits. Rebellion has crossed the line of God’s mercy. As evil and bad as things have been, it’s going to get even worse before it’s all over. A loving God has done everything He can do for us, which included offering Himself on the cross as a sacrifice for our sin. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NKJV; see also Galatians 3:13).
Image © John Baker at Goodsalt.com
What more could God have done beyond that cross? There is nothing more grace can do to redeem those who have repeatedly rejected the Holy Spirit.
Here is the urgent prophetic message of Revelation 14:1-20. Every seed has gone to harvest. The grain is fully ripe, and the grapes are fully ripe. The people of God reveal His image of grace, compassion, mercy, and love before the universe. The children of the evil one reveal greed, lust, jealousy, and hate. The character of Jesus is revealed in one group and the character of Satan in the other.
The universe will see in the people of God a revelation of righteousness that, perhaps, no generation before it has ever witnessed. In contrast to the righteousness of Christ revealed in His people, the universe will see the full results of rebellion against God. Wickedness, evil, sin, and lawlessness will be on full display before men and angels. The contrast between good and evil, right and wrong, obedience and disobedience, will be apparent to all the universe, to both humans and angels.
| How well can you discern the contrast between good and evil? Why is it important that we do? (See Hebrews 5:14.) |
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Today's lesson asks the question:
It seems an almost insignificant question against the main discussion of the cosmic climax of the final judgment and its execution. However, when you think about it, the question is of paramount importance.
Final judgments and their consequences are going to happen in the fullness of time, but actions and relationships happen now. In my teaching days, we had final exams at the end of the semester. Those students who got the idea early in the semester that they had to study in the present, had little to fear in the judgment day of the examination. Students decided their own fate by choosing whether to work or have a good time during the semester. The examination result was a consequence of that and not the action of a capricious or vindictive teacher.
Now the example is flawed in the sense that we do not work for our salvation, but we do make decisions about relationships in our lives now and that relationship with Jesus is what really counts when the judgment is executed. If that relationship is real then we will discern what is good and what is evil. The issue is that sometimes we have a make-believe relationship that permits us to be selfish and self-serving.
Going back to the classroom situation, there were those students who thought they could pass their examination by currying favour with the teacher. They would bring the proverbial apple for the teacher, rather than doing the study that was so necessary. Good teachers are not bought. Likewise, a relationship with Jesus is not something that is bought.
Paul's message to the Phillipians is clear:
The future is a consequence of the present!
This part of the lesson caught my attention,
There is nothing plainer than that. Although my nature has degenerated, and I depend on fighting against my downfall. Goodness, integrity, virtue, morality, and honesty do not mix with evil, wickedness, villainy, immorality, and ultimately, sin.
Thus, building a solid character is achieved only by practice! Then, which side do I want to exercise more on?
But thanks be to God; nevertheless, grace is free and unpayable! And I guess the way to keep myself on the good side, the primary fight is to keep accepting this grace every instant.
Because,
In my opinion, there are 2 means to discern the difference between good and evil. One is following the biblical view vs. adopting the cultural one, which is very misleading, since many unethical practices become socially acceptable (for example, same sex marriage, the entertainment industry, Hollywood and popular music).
In the Garden of Eden, the serpent said to Eve, "eat from this tree and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.“ We all know where this led to.
Many times, it‘s not always easy even for us Christians to assume that some things are good and others are bad, unless we test them. I think that‘s why Paul said, in Thess. 5:21 (ESV)
In this case, the Bible is our standard by which we assess all things, avoiding leaning on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5-6), and by clinging to Jesus Christ.
We not only test, but also put those habits in practice. In Hebrews 5:14 (ESV) it says:
May God help us along.
God is a gardener. And it appears that at least one of God's spiritual gardening methods is permaculture. I take after my Heavenly Daddy - I LOVE gardening of all kinds. So I'm excited to dig deeper for a few moments into what we can learn of God the permaculturalist.
I'm still experimenting with this gardening method...so if any of you are experts out there feel free to correct or add on .... Basically, for purposes here, we could begin by saying that backyard permaculture is a method where you let ecosystems stay intact, the native plants that occur naturally (what we often call weeds) and the planted crops grow up together. Sound familiar? Remember when Jesus said,
When I first learned about gardening from my Mom as a wee girl, I recall the neat rows and careful picking out of each weed. Very important to keep weeds down. So this may seem counterintuitive. We want our crops to flourish and we have no use for weeds. But maybe God does make use of weeds. I'm thinking of how He tells us that He makes "all things work together for good" (Rom 8:28) for those of us who love Him. Let's be clear, God hates sin. In God there is no sin at all. So while what we call "weeds" in the gardening world may actually be useful medicinal plants and healthy edibles themselves, we are not to sympathize with or condone the "spiritual weeds" or sinful lifestyle. Having established that, can God use the evil in the world for the growth and development of His harvest (us)? Is there a reason He allows sin to develop and ripen along with righteousness?
(1) Jesus gives a reason: "...lest while you gather up the weeds you also uproot the wheat with them." Matt. 13:29
Weeds are the original plants that refuse to leave. They are firmly rooted. Think of the grasses' long snaky roots making a mat deep into the fabric of the soil. When you start yanking out these weeds you disturb the soil, and then your newly planted, newly rooting, seedlings are yanked right out with them. In permaculture, you encourage the crops to push through the weeds and eventually the ecosystem restores itself, letting the wanted crops flourish and the unwanted to fall back. Sin is our born nature. It has long-rooted into our habits. Once we are born again, it takes time for the good fruits of the Spirit to crowd out the native sins. God has promised us that the sinful habits will fall back as we nurture the correct environment for His fruits to develop.
Ellen White in the book Christ Object Lessons, in the chapter titled Tares, expounds on this parable. I recommend reading the whole chapter. As we consider the children of the wicked one (weeds) and those born of the Word of God (wheat), we see true and false believers mingled in the church. She says that while those who persist in open sin are to be separated from the church, we are not to judge character and motive.
E.White goes on to share that even the loyal angels in heaven did not fully discern Satan's character when he sinned in heaven. This is why God did not at once destroy Satan. He needed time for full evidence of His perfect justice and mercy to ripen.
(2) Permaculturalists DO try to keep weeds under control because they compete with the chosen plants for nutrients, water and space. They do this through mulching. Just as Jesus talked about "good soil", we need to mulch ourselves with Bible study, prayer, worship,and pure community and celebration. As we fill our lives with God's goodness, all that is sinful will be kept down. The worldly actions that begin siphoning off the nourishment God provides, the thoughts that shade our hearts and minds from God's presence, will be kept at bay.
(3) Weeds can be useful to know WHAT kind of soil is in the garden plot. Weeds appear where they belong. Dandelions show an acidic soil, willow trees show a wet soil, chicory or mustard suggest a compact soil. Just so, the sinful weeds that pop up in us and around us can alert us to what kind of "heart soil" is there. If we are engaged in worrying a lot, for example, or hear a lot of anxiety around us, we can be alerted that we are existing in a "lack of faith" soil. If people around us are engaged in buying constantly to have the latest and best, we are alerted that we may be in a covetous soil.
In gardening we plant according to what we observe. For example, if we know the ground is wet and will be saturated regularly, we may try water-hungry plants like watercress and taro. Just so, we can apply the 10 Commandments by seeing that they help us with what TO DO as well as what NOT TO DO. The fix for covetousness, for example, is praying for contentment with what God has given and practicing rejoicing over the gifts God has poured into our lives and into our neighbors' lives. We can actually look for ways to be of service in helping our neighbor with their possessions...for instance, teaching someone how to create a budget. As another example, let's use the 9th Commandment (don't bear false witness)... If we see the soil we are in is full of gossip, we can ask God for help in speaking well of others and explaining everything in the kindest of ways to protect others' reputations. We can actively look for ways to lift God up by sharing with a brother or sister in Jesus ways we see Him manifesting in their life. Which leads me to ....
(4) Bare soil allows weeds to push through. Gardening is all about growth and if there are too many blank spaces, SOMETHING will push through. A healthy garden is lush with growing plants and few bare spots. Just so, we are warned to not be blank and bare and stagnant (thinking of the loveless Ephesus church, the dead church of Sardis, and the lukewarm Laodicean church - Rev. 2-3). Jesus warns us in Matt. 12:43-45 that if we sweep our lives of bad habits but don't replace with good ones, it will be worse for us. Boredom is a fertile ground for sin. Paul in Gal. 6:7-10 drives this point home with a gardening analogy and concluding with "don't be weary in well-doing."
(5) Permaculture is all about biodiversity. Natural ecosystems are flourishing because they are diverse in species. Plants and animals depend upon variety. Modern Western farming often fails and falters through monoculture. Pests attack and plants are more susceptible to disease and infestation. My application spiritually here is that God wants us to enjoy and embrace and seek diversity in our lives. We need all types of people in our hearts. We thrive as the Body with our diverse backgrounds, cultures, experiences, ages, roles and gifts. We do our best work for God's Kingdom - and see the biggest harvest - in cooperation and harmony with each other.
Thank you for this insightful post, Sister.
May I share this with others out there, please?
Certainly ! What a blessing to be a blessing, thank you 🙏
My soul has been truly watered. Thank God for leading you to post this and make the connections, Sis. Esther
God is so loving to give us messages to share! Thank you, Sis. Dorrett.
Dear sister Esther, what a wonderful spiritual lesson in permaculture gardening. I shall certainly be retaining this message. Thank you for your posts which l read with interest and relish. May GOD continue to bless you and yours as you reach out to others far and near.
My heart is full of gratitude. Thank you, Sis Marcia. May God’s face shine upon you today!