Can a tare become saved?

[Spiritual Israelite]

So, yes... and I think this is what you are saying, and I think SI would actually agree... that these children of the evil one are in the kingdom but not of it. Right?

Hey, not fair. We were not supposed to talk again until we get to heaven, but you ruined it. Haha. I just very much dislike seeing my view misrepresented and I think you feel the same about your views, so I needed to correct you here. I know you didn't do it on purpose, so I'm not upset about it or anything.

Anyway, no, I do not agree. Look at this verse carefully...

Matthew 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

This verse makes it clear that the children of the wicked one are not in/of His kingdom and only the good seed (the wheat) are in/of His kingdom. Both the wheat and the tares are in His field, which represents the world, but only the good seed (wheat) are in/of His spiritual kingdom. Surely, only believers are in His kingdom, right? I would assume you agree this passage only refers to believers being translated into His kingdom:

Colossians 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

So, no, the tares are not children of the kingdom. They are children of the wicked one's kingdom instead.

As we all know, Jesus does tell Nicodemus in John 3 that one cannot see the kingdom of God unless he (or she) is born again, right? But it is here, as He said many times. And His Kingdom is not of this world, just as he told Pilate before His crucifixion (John 18:36), right?

So again, I think you fellers are really kind of arguing the same thing... Which is kind of funny in a way... <chuckles>

We are not. Not even close. He says the tares are in Christ's kingdom. I do not. Only the wheat, which represents the children of the kingdom, are in His kingdom.

 

[PinSeeker]

If church(A) interprets the parable of the tares as rule that their church(A) should allow people who they know are tares to grow along side the wheat, wouldn’t that church(A) be vastly different than a church(B) that didn’t have that rule? Church(B) would be able to remove people they recognize as causing harm to their church while church(A) would want to keep those people in their church until the harvest.

Ugh. <smile>

Well, I would take some issue ~ along the lines of what we have just discussed ~ that church A can't know for sure if people are "tares" or not, or, even if they are, will remain such. Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:13), so I would hope any church would welcome unbelievers so that they could at the very least sit under the preaching of the Word and hear the Gospel proclaimed. This is the vehicle through which the Spirit works in the hearts of said unbelievers, and they might be born again of the Spirit, in which case they would become Christians. Right?

However, for anyone "causing harm," for even believers as well as unbelievers, excommunication would remain on the table. Even then, it might depend at least somewhat on what that "causing harm" looks like or is in any given case.

I kind of... well, dismiss... the Church A and Church B comparison/dichotomy you seem to be making. <smile>

Grace and peace to you.

 

[Spiritual Israelite]

Well if you can sho any verse that proves god takes tares and turns them to wheat- you have something to stand on.

Jesus never said to go out and find goats to make them sheep nor did He say go out and gather the tares and when they hit the barns He will turn them to wheat! If you know different I am all ears.

Matthew 13:38 says the tares are "the children of the wicked one". The wicked one is Satan. Aren't we all children of the wicked one in a sense before we become saved? I think so.

1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

Are you suggesting that no one who currently "doeth not righteousness" or "loveth not his brother" and is then currently considered to be a child of the devil can ever repent of their sins?

 

[PinSeeker]

Anyway, no, I do not agree.

Fair enough.

Look at this verse carefully...

<chuckles>

So, no, the tares are not children of the kingdom.

Okay, well I said or insinuated no such thing, and in fact quite the opposite.

They are children of the wicked one's kingdom instead.

Right, which I acknowledged, but they may not remain so; they may be made children of the one true God.

We are not. Not even close. He says the tares are in Christ's kingdom. I do not.

I think you are just missing each other, as I said.

And here we go again, I guess... <smile>

Grace and peace to you.

 

[grafted branch]

Ugh. <smile>

Well, I would take some issue ~ along the lines of what we have just discussed ~ that church A can't know for sure if people are "tares" or not, or, even if they are, will remain such. Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:13), so I would hope any church would welcome unbelievers so that they could at the very least sit under the preaching of the Word and hear the Gospel proclaimed. This is the vehicle through which the Spirit works in the hearts of said unbelievers, and they might be born again of the Spirit, in which case they would become Christians. Right?

However, for anyone "causing harm," for even believers as well as unbelievers, excommunication would remain on the table. Even then, it might depend at least somewhat on what that "causing harm" looks like or is in any given case.

I kind of... well, dismiss... the Church A and Church B comparison/dichotomy you seem to be making. <smile>

Grace and peace to you.

But that’s a major point, a tare can’t be excommunicated, a tare has to be allowed to grow together with the wheat. A person that qualifies for excommunication can’t be a tare by definition.

 

[Spiritual Israelite]

If tares are meaning the lost in general, it then contradicts the following, for example. It's not unreasonable that a practicing atheist, for example, can become saved if he or she were to denounce atheism and accept Christ instead. Obviously then, since that is perfectly reasonable, therefore, tares can't be meaning the lost in general, such as atheists, etc. Which then doesn't contradict reality since no tares are somehow turning into wheat per this scenario. But they would be if tares are representing all the lost in general, such as atheists, etc.

tares = all the lost in general, such as atheists, etc, contradicts that atheists, for example, can become wheat if they denounce atheism and then accept Christ instead.

tares DO NOT = all the lost in general, such as atheists, etc, thus does not contradict that atheists can become wheat if they denounce atheism and then accept Christ instead. The fact, per this scenario, no tare is trying to change into wheat since no tare is meaning the lost in general, such as atheists, etc, to begin with.

Let's allow scripture to determine who are the children of the wicked one (Satan) instead of deciding that for ourselves.

Matthew 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

Jesus said the tares are the children of the wicked one (the devil). What lost person doesn't fit the description of the children of the devil given in 1 John 3:10?

The context of the parable has nothing to do with whether or not the tares can become wheat. The main point Jesus is making in the parable is what happens to the wheat and the tares at the end of the age. So, He's talking about people's spiritual status at the end of the age regardless of their previous status. So, the parable is about who are the wheat and who are the tares at the end of the age and what will happen to them at that time. The wheat represent all believers at the end of the age and the tares represents all unbelievers at the end of the age. Once the end of the age arrives, all believers will inherit "the kingdom of their Father" while all unbelievers will be cast into the fire.

Look at this similar parable...

Matthew 13:47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Would you try to claim that this is not talking about the lost in general when it refers to "the bad" fish which represent "the wicked"?

 

[Spiritual Israelite]

I think you are just missing each other, as I said.

You are saying that we actually agree and don't realize it. No, we don't. How are grafted branch and I saying the same thing when I say that the tares are NOT in His kingdom while he says that they ARE in His kingdom?

Also, keep in mind that what I was saying in my post was in relation to what grafted branch has been saying and not in relation to what you believe. I can see that you didn't catch that.

 

[Spiritual Israelite]

Yes, I agree. There seems to be quite a few people that simply want to say a tare can become wheat, because a tare represents all the lost, even though that contradicts the reality that a tare plant can’t become a wheat plant and this parable would then be the only parable based on an untrue reality.

Matthew 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

Jesus said the tares are the children of the wicked one (the devil). What lost person doesn't fit the description of the children of the devil given in 1 John 3:10? Don't we all fit the description of someone who "doeth not righteousness" or "loveth not his brother" before we're saved? Clearly, such people have the potential to repent of their sins and become saved. But, the parable is not about this. The parable is about those who are wheat and tares at the end of the age and what happens to them at that time.

 

[Davidpt]

Yes, I agree. There seems to be quite a few people that simply want to say a tare can become wheat, because a tare represents all the lost, even though that contradicts the reality that a tare plant can’t become a wheat plant and this parable would then be the only parable based on an untrue reality.

And look at the contradictions that went away by understanding these things in this manner. By sticking to context and by sticking to reality, since there is no such thing in the agricultural world where tares can somehow be transformed into wheat, now repentant atheists, for example, can be transformed into wheat without contradicting the parable. Rather than something utterly impossible, that tares can be transformed into wheat. If they can, why does Jesus say this happens to them instead---therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world? Doesn't sound like they ever transformed into wheat if that is what happens to them.

But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.


How are they supposed to grow together until the harvest if some of the tares somehow transform into wheat before the harvest? That equals these growing together until the harvest exactly how??

 

[grafted branch]

How are they supposed to grow together until the harvest if some of the tares somehow transform into wheat before the harvest? That equals these growing together until the harvests exactly how??

Right, and not only that, why were the servants wanting to pull the tares in the first place if they thought they might change into wheat. The servants should’ve said “wow, isn’t this great, somebody sowed some more seeds and it could give us more wheat”

 

[Aunty Jane]

Just reading the exchanges here, some things apparently need clarification…..

Matthew 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

Jesus said the tares are the children of the wicked one (the devil). What lost person doesn't fit the description of the children of the devil given in 1 John 3:10?

First of all…what is the “Kingdom” that some are said to “see” or to “enter”?
Unless we have a clear picture of what God’s Kingdom is, and what it’s purpose is, nothing will make sense.

The tares (weeds) are counterfeit Christians…the product of Satan’s interference in sowing false Christians in “the world”. He corrupted Judaism in exactly the same way. (Matt 15:7-9)

The parable was about a common weed seen in the Middle East that was a blight to farmers because it mimicked the wheat in its early growing stages, but by the time it was obvious that it wasn’t wheat, it was too late to pull out the weeds without taking the wheat with them…..hence a farmer would allow these weeds to grow along with the wheat and at the harvest the weeds would be harvested along with the wheat, separated, and thrown into the fire….only then was the wheat placed in the farmers storehouse.

Jesus taught one truth, but satan oversowed the world with fake Christianity.…which took his truth and broke it up into all manner of beliefs and practices, in denominational sects all promoting things that he never taught. Christendom is the divided mess that the devil created. No wonder people are confused!

The Scripture in 1 John 3:10 shows one specific trait that is evident in all false Christianity…..failure to love our Christian “brother”. In what ways can we see this clearly? We see it right here in many exchanges that end up widening the divisions that already exist, but none goes as far as the situation that people find themselves in when their nations go to war…..professed “Christians” will take up arms and actually justify killing their own brothers of a different nation, over political differences, when we are not supposed to be part of that world at all. (John 17:16; John 18:36)

The two world wars of last century were fought mainly in nations where both sides claimed to be Christians and were supported by their various denominations. Clergy were in their ranks, salving the consciences of those who knew that “thou shalt not kill” was part of the Ten Commandments….and yet somehow God was on their side in this bloodshed. Whose side was God on in reality? (1 John 4:20-21) Not the side of those who were acting in blatant disobedience to Christ’s teachings. Who understands that a patriot who puts love of country above love of God can still claim to be a follower of Christ? (Matt 5:43-44)

Unless we see that truth clearly, we won’t understand what the real difference is between the wheat and the weeds.
A tare is a fake Christian…ones that may have resembled wheat in the beginning when the devil sowed them, “while men were sleeping”…..but when did this happen? When were men “sleeping” so that this took place virtually unnoticed? Go back in Christian history and see how quickly these weeds took root after the death of the apostles.

Christianity entered a period of spiritual drowsiness where men introduced things that did not belong, and took Christianity down a dark path so that in their drowsiness they allowed the development of “the Church” that took mankind away from Christ and his teachings and into a system where men dominated even the rulers of the world that they were told to be “no part of”.

The wheat represent all believers at the end of the age and the tares represents all unbelievers at the end of the age. Once the end of the age arrives, all believers will inherit "the kingdom of their Father" while all unbelievers will be cast into the fire.

The “wheat”, at the end of the age, are those who have obeyed the Christ in all things, regardless of who told them to do otherwise…..the “wheat“ (true Christians) and the “weeds” (false Christians) are so very different at this point in time, (the harvest time) that there is virtually nothing they have in common, except the label they wear….and we know that “Christianity” is a lifestyle not a label.

It’s how we conduct ourselves in a world rule by the devil (1 John 5:19) that makes the difference.

 

[Spiritual Israelite]

And look at the contradictions that went away by understanding these things in this manner. By sticking to context and by sticking to reality, since there is no such thing in the agricultural world where tares can somehow be transformed into wheat, now repentant atheists, for example, can be transformed into wheat without contradicting the parable. Rather than something utterly impossible, that tares can be transformed into wheat. If they can, why does Jesus say this happens to them instead---therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. Doesn't sound like they ever transformed into wheat if that is what happens to them.

The context of the parable is in relation to what happens to those who are wheat (children of the kingdom) and those who are tares (children of the wicked one) at the end of the age and has nothing to do with their past spiritual status.

In terms of those who are wheat (children of the kingdom) and tares (children of the wicked one) right now in contrast to the end of the age when it will be too late for anyone to repent, why can't children of the devil become children of the kingdom?

Matthew 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

Jesus said the tares are the children of the wicked one (the devil). What lost person doesn't fit the description of the children of the devil given in 1 John 3:10? Don't we all fit the description of someone who "doeth not righteousness" or "loveth not his brother" before we're saved? Clearly, such people have the potential to repent of their sins and become saved, right? Were you not someone who did not do righteousness and/or didn't love your fellow man before you were saved? I was. John says such people are children of the devil. What lost person doesn't fit that description? No one. That means all lost people are children of the devil, according to John's description. Therefore, all lost people are tares.

 

[grafted branch]

The parable is about those who are wheat and tares at the end of the age and what happens to them at that time.

The tares get burned and the wheat is put in the barn. That’s what happens. No where is it even implied that the tares somehow turn into wheat.

 

[Spiritual Israelite]

Just reading the exchanges here, some things apparently need clarification…..

First of all…what is the “Kingdom” that some are said to “see” or to “enter”?
Unless we have a clear picture of what God’s Kingdom is, and what it’s purpose is, nothing will make sense.

The tares (weeds) are counterfeit Christians…the product of Satan’s interference in sowing false Christians in “the world”. He corrupted Judaism in exactly the same way. (Matt 15:7-9)

The parable was about a common weed seen in the Middle East that was a blight to farmers because it mimicked the wheat in it early growing stages, but by the time it was obvious that it wasn’t wheat, it was too late to pull out the weeds without taking the wheat with them…..hence a farmer would allow these weeds to grow along with the wheat and at the harvest the weeds would be harvested along with the wheat, separated, and thrown into the fire….only then was the wheat placed in the farmers storehouse.

Jesus taught one truth, but satan oversowed the world with fake Christianity.…which took his truth and broke it up into all manner of beliefs and practices, in denominational sects all promoting things that he never taught. Christendom is the divided mess that the devil created. No wonder people are confused!

The Scripture in 1 John 3:10 shows one specific trait that is evident in all false Christianity…..failure to love our Christian “brother”. In what ways can we see this clearly? We see it right here in many exchanges that end up widening the divisions that already exist, but none goes as far as the situation that people find themselves in when their nations go to war…..professed “Christians” will take up arms and actually justify killing their own brothers of a different nation, over political differences, when we are not supposed to be part of that world at all. (John 17:16; John 18:36)

The two world wars of last century were fought mainly in nations where both sides claimed to be Christians and were supported by their various denominations. Clergy were in their ranks, salving the consciences of those who knew that “thou shalt not kill” was part of the Ten Commandments….and yet somehow God was on their side in this bloodshed. Whose side was God on in reality? Not the side of those who were acting in blatant disobedience to Christ’s teachings. Who understands that a patriot who puts love of country above love of God can still claim to be a follower of Christ?

Unless we see that truth clearly, we won’t understand what the real difference is between the wheat and the weeds.
A tare is a fake Christian…ones that may have resembled wheat in the beginning when the devil sowed them, “while men were sleeping”…..but when did this happen? When were men “sleeping” so that this took place virtually unnoticed? Go back in Christian history and see how quickly these weeds took root after the death of the apostles.

Christianity entered a period of spiritual drowsiness where men introduced things that did not belong, and took Christianity down a dark path so that in their drowsiness they allowed the development of “the Church” that took mankind away from Christ and his teachings and into a system where men dominated even the rulers of the world that they were told to be “no part of”.

The “wheat”, at the end of the age, are those who have obeyed the Christ in all things, regardless of who told them to do otherwise…..the “wheat“ (true Christians) and the “weeds” (false Christians) are so very different at this point in time, (the harvest time) that there is virtually nothing they have in common, except the label they wear….and we know that “Christianity” is a lifestyle not a label.

It’s how we conduct ourselves in a world rule by the devil (1 John 5:19) that makes the difference.

All non-Christians, and not just "false Christians", fit the description that John gives of who are the children of the devil.

1 John 3:8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

All non-Christians do "what is sinful" and do "not do what is right" or "do not love their brother and sister". All non-Christians are children of the devil and all Christians are children of Christ's kingdom.

 

[Spiritual Israelite]

The tares get burned and the wheat is put in the barn. That’s what happens. No where is it even implied that the tares somehow turn into wheat.

Not after the end of the age they don't. It will be too late to repent at that point. Of course. But, you're talking about the time before that. Jesus was not talking about that. He was talking about what will happen to anyone who is a tare when the end of the age comes.

 

[grafted branch]

Not after the end of the age they don't. It will be too late to repent at that point. Of course. But, you're talking about the time before that. Jesus was not talking about that. He was talking about what will happen to anyone who is a tare when the end of the age comes.

Well yea, God knows who will and who won’t become saved before they are born. The parable is written from God’s perspective which is why He says specifically tares and wheat are sown.

If the parable said seed in general were sown then you might have a point as to what the plants might be at harvest time.

Tell me, are there any other parables that use an untrue reality to express a heavenly meaning?

 

[Spiritual Israelite]

Well yea, God knows who will and who won’t become saved before they are born. The parable is written from God’s perspective which is why He says specifically tares and wheat are sown.

If the parable said seed in general were sown then you might have a point as to what the plants might be at harvest time.

Tell me, are there any other parables that use an untrue reality to express a heavenly meaning?

One would be the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). Obviously, in reality, only one virgin marries a bridegroom, not ten or five. And, in reality, a virgin being worthy of marrying her bridegroom is not dependent on her having oil in her lamp or not. And, in reality, a bridegroom would not tell someone he was engaged to that he doesn't know her.

Please look at these passages..

Matthew 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

1 John 3:8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

The tares are described as "the children of the wicked one". The wicked one is obviously the devil. John said that a child of the devil is someone who "does what is sinful" and "does not do what is right" or "does not love their brother and sister". So, can someone who "does what is sinful" and "does not do what is right" or "does not love their brother and sister" repent and become a child of God or not?

Remember, the wheat and tares are not meant to be taken literally, but rather they figuratively represent types of people in reality. While tares cannot naturally become wheat, Jesus could supernaturally change tares into wheat, right? He turned water into wine, so He could turn tares into wheat. Likewise, those who are children of the devil can become children of the kingdom instead if they repent and believe in Christ and are supernaturally born again.

 

[grafted branch]

So, can someone who "does what is sinful" and "does not do what is right" or "does not love their brother and sister" repent and become a child of God or not?

Sure, but a person that God knows ahead of time that won’t repent is what the parable is about and those people are the tares, else they wouldn’t have been named as tares and wheat in the first place.

 

[Spiritual Israelite]

Sure, but a person that God knows ahead of time that won’t repent is what the parable is about and those people are the tares, else they wouldn’t have been named as tares and wheat in the first place.

Edit: I read what you said again and realized I didn't fully catch what you were saying here the first time I read it.

Yes, it is true that God knows ahead of time who will and won't repent, so from that perspective, the tares could represent those who God knows will not repent. That wouldn't mean that no child of the devil can ever repent, of course. So, I could allow that the tares represent those who God knows will not repent and the wheat represent those who God knows will repent. So, in that case, if we look at this from our non-eternal perspective, someone who is currently a tare in terms of being a child of the devil is actually wheat (a child of the kingdom) in God's eyes because He knows that person will repent at some point.

So, I guess we need to differentiate between what's true from God's eternal perspective and what's true from our temporal perspective in terms of who are the wheat (children of the kingdom) and who are the tares (children of the devil) right now when we talk about this in terms of the current time in contrast to the end of the age when there is no chance for anyone to repent anymore at that point.

Either way, though, it's not only Christians and fake Christians in view in the parable as some are trying to claim. So, my point stands regarding who the children of the devil are right now from a real time (non-eternal) perspective. The tares are the children of the devil which scripture defines as being anyone who is an unrepentant sinner (1 John 3:8-10). Does that mean that someone who would fit the description of a tare right now (child of the devil) can't repent and become a child of the kingdom? No. God knows if they will repent or not, as you pointed out, but we don't know. So, we should not think we can identify who the wheat and tares are right now since a child of the devil can become a child of the kingdom. It will be revealed at the end of the age who the wheat and tares are.

 

[grafted branch]

Edit: I read what you said again and realized I didn't fully catch what you were saying here the first time I read it.

Yes, it is true that God knows ahead of time who will and won't repent, so from that perspective, the tares could represent those who God knows will not repent. That wouldn't mean that no child of the devil can ever repent, of course. So, I could allow that the tares represent those who God knows will not repent and the wheat represent those who God knows will repent. So, in that case, if we look at this from our non-eternal perspective, someone who is currently a tare in terms of being a child of the devil is actually wheat (a child of the kingdom) in God's eyes because He knows that person will repent at some point.

So, I guess we need to differentiate between what's true from God's eternal perspective and what's true from our temporal perspective in terms of who are the wheat and who are the tares right now when we talk about this in terms of the current time in contrast to the end of the age when there is no chance for anyone to repent anymore at that point.

Either way, though, it's not only Christians and fake Christians in view in the parable as some are trying to claim. So, my point stands regarding who the children of the devil are right now from a real time (non-eternal) perspective. The tares are the children of the devil which scripture defines as being anyone who is an unrepentant sinner (1 John 3:8-10). Does that mean that someone who would fit the description of a tare right now (child of the devil) can't repent and become a child of the kingdom? No. God knows if they will repent or not, as you pointed out, but we don't know. So, we should not think we can identify who the wheat and tares are right now since a child of the devil can become a child of the kingdom. It will be revealed at the end of the age who the wheat and tares are.

I think a major difference between us is that I see the end of the age referring to when the old covenant vanished (not when it became invalid) and you see it as the end of this current heaven and earth.