{"id":48596,"date":"2021-06-14T10:29:19","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T07:29:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=48596"},"modified":"2025-05-31T19:50:41","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T16:50:41","slug":"the-harvest-is-already-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2021\/06\/14\/the-harvest-is-already-over\/","title":{"rendered":"THE HARVEST IS ALREADY OVER"},"content":{"rendered":"

Matthew 24:14 (ESV)<\/strong> \u00a0\u201cAnd this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Praise the Lord, dear brother or sister,<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you want to understand where we are in God\u2019s prophetic timeline, consider this: most of the signs have already been fulfilled. The only remaining event before the Great Tribulation begins is the Rapture<\/strong> of the Church the catching away of true believers (1 Thessalonians 4:16\u201317).<\/p>\n

One way to discern the times is to examine the state of the spiritual harvest<\/strong> in God\u2019s field. Let\u2019s compare how people responded to the gospel during the days of the apostles with how they respond today.<\/p>\n

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1. The Early Church: A Time of Great Harvest<\/strong><\/h3>\n

During the apostolic age, when the gospel was preached in new regions for the first time, the response was overwhelming. On the day of Pentecost alone, 3,000 souls<\/strong> were saved (Acts 2:41). Shortly afterward, the number grew to 5,000 men<\/strong> (Acts 4:4). This was the power of the gospel in a ripe field fertile ground for salvation.<\/p>\n

Despite persecution, the message spread rapidly. Paul writes that the gospel \u201chas been proclaimed in all creation under heaven\u201d (Colossians 1:23), and that it \u201cis bearing fruit and increasing\u201d (Colossians 1:6). The Thessalonian believers were so impactful that \u201cthe word of the Lord sounded forth from [them] in Macedonia and Achaia\u201d (1 Thessalonians 1:8).<\/p>\n

This explosive growth shows that the early Church lived during a season of spiritual harvest<\/strong>. The Holy Spirit was powerfully drawing people to Christ, and their hearts were soft to the truth.<\/p>\n

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2.A Time of Witness, Not Harvest<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Now fast forward to our time. The gospel has reached virtually every part of the world. The Bible is translated into thousands of languages. Churches exist on every continent. Sermons are streamed into homes. Free Bibles are available on apps. Social media is filled with Scripture.<\/p>\n

And yet the response has dramatically declined<\/strong>. People aren\u2019t ignorant of the gospel. They reject it. Many are not just uninterested; they are hostile. 2 Timothy 4:3\u20134 (ESV)<\/strong> warns of such times:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions…\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This widespread rejection indicates something sobering: the harvest is over.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What remains is what Jesus described in His parable the wheat and the tares (weeds)<\/strong> growing together until the end (Matthew 13:24\u201330). The wheat has been gathered, and the tares are all that remain. The gospel still goes forth, but not necessarily to save rather, as a witness<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Jesus said this would happen:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come\u201d<\/em> (Matthew 24:14, ESV).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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3. The Gospel as a Witness<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Today, when the gospel reaches you through a TV, smartphone, or pamphlet, it may not be to draw you but to testify against you<\/strong> on Judgment Day, if you continue to reject it.<\/p>\n

Romans 1:19\u201320 (ESV) says:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor what can be known about God is plain to them… So they are without excuse.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You will not be able to say, \u201cI never knew. I never heard.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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4.Are You Wheat or a Weed?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You\u2019ve heard many sermons. You\u2019ve read Bible verses. And yet, perhaps there\u2019s still no real transformation in your life. Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) declares:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Word should pierce your heart and change your life. If it doesn\u2019t, it may be because your heart is hard not like good soil (Matthew 13:19\u201323), but like rocky or thorny ground. Or perhaps, as Jesus warned in Matthew 13:38, you are not wheat, but a weed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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5.The Rapture<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We are on the edge of eternity. The next prophetic event is the Rapture of the Church<\/strong>, when Jesus will return to take His faithful people home.<\/p>\n

1 Thessalonians 4:16\u201317 (ESV)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the Lord himself will descend from heaven\u2026 and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive\u2026 will be caught up together\u2026 to meet the Lord in the air\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jesus also foretold this moment:
\nMatthew 24:40\u201341 (ESV)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cThen two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Those who are left behind will experience anguish, regret, and judgment weeping and gnashing of teeth<\/strong> (Luke 13:28). They will mourn that they ignored the gentle voice of God when He was calling them in love.<\/p>\n

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6. Hope for the Redeemed<\/strong><\/h3>\n

But for those who are ready the faithful, the repentant, the true believers they will be taken to the marriage supper of the Lamb<\/strong> (Revelation 19:7\u20139). They will receive glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:51\u201352), and enter into the joy of the Lord, where every tear will be wiped away (Revelation 21:4).<\/p>\n

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7.Repent Today<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Maybe this all sounds like a fairy tale to you\u00a0 something that will happen 5,000 years from now. But Jesus said:<\/p>\n

Matthew 3:2 (ESV)<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cRepent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He wasn\u2019t exaggerating. The kingdom of heaven truly was near<\/strong>, and it\u2019s even nearer today. If the early Church lived with urgency, how much more should we?<\/p>\n

2 Corinthians 6:2 (ESV)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cBehold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Wake Up<\/strong><\/h3>\n

God is not obligated to call you again. If He\u2019s tugging on your heart right now, don\u2019t ignore Him<\/strong>. The gospel you\u2019re hearing now may be your final call not an invitation, but a witness.<\/p>\n

Turn to Jesus while there\u2019s still time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shalom.<\/strong><\/p>\n