Sunday, November 2, 2008

God SEPARATES...

Let’s review Genesis 1:4, “And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness” (NKJV).

Notice the last part: “… God divided the light from the darkness.”

Other translations render it, “God SEPARATED the light from the darkness” as we read also in the New International Version.

God divides or separates. He does not mix the light with darkness.

In the future, there will be also separation among the nations. Jesus Christ said:

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…’ Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…’” (Matt 25:31-34, 41, NKJV.)

There are those who teach that everyone will be saved. But according to God’s Word, He would say to those on His right hand, “Come…” but to those on the left hand, “Depart…”

God attracts. For while the devil tried to “mix it up,” God separates.

We read in Matthew 13:24-25, “Another parable He put forth to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.’”

The devil is the "enemy" who sowed the tares among the wheat. Now, let’s continue to read:

“But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' "He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' "But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn" ' " (verses 26-30).

God may allow this time the “tares” and the “wheat” – the righteous and the unrighteous” – the believers and the unbelievers – to “grow together.” But the day is coming when they will be separated. As we read in Malachi 3:18:

“So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him” (NAS) – for, then, God will again separate the “light” from the “darkness.”