Is It Time for the Harvest or Not? Examining Biblical Contradictions
In this article, you will learn how Revelation 14:15 contradicts Matthew 13:30, Matthew 25:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, Mark 13:32 and 2 Peter 3:10. Find the translations at the bottom of the page..
The Bible often serves as a guiding light, but it also contains passages that, at first glance, appear to present contradictory messages. One such passage is Revelation 14:15, where an angel informs Jesus that it's time to gather people, likening this moment to a harvest when fruit is ripe and ready to be picked. This implies immediacy and certainty about the timing for gathering souls, much like farmers know when it's time to bring in the crops.
However, this sense of urgency and clear timing seems to clash with several other biblical verses. In Matthew 13:30, the instruction is to let the wheat and tares grow together until the harvest. The implication here is to wait, allowing both the good and bad to mature until an unspecified future point when the harvest will occur.
Similarly, Matthew 25:13 warns that no one knows the day or hour of the appointed time, suggesting uncertainty and a call for constant readiness rather than an immediate action. This sentiment is echoed in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 and 2 Peter 3:10, where the day of the Lord is described as coming unexpectedly, "like a thief in the night," contrasting with the Revelation's clear signal for action.
Furthermore, Mark 13:32 underscores that no one, not even Jesus, knows the exact timing, leaving this knowledge solely to the Father. This makes Revelation 14:15's definitive call to action seem even more puzzling.
These differences could be compared to a teacher announcing a pop quiz when students have been told that tests will only happen at pre-scheduled times, leaving them confused about when to prepare. This juxtaposition forces readers to ponder the nature of divine timing: Is it a mapped-out schedule or an unpredictable occurrence? Understanding these apparent contradictions challenges us to delve deeper into the complexities of biblical teachings.
| # | Verse | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Revelation 14:15 | And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. [ripe: or, dried] |
| 2. | Matthew 13:30 | 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. |
| 3. | Matthew 25:13 | Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. |
| 4. | 1 Thessalonians 5:2 | For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. |
| 5. | Mark 13:32 | But of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. |
| 6. | 2 Peter 3:10 | But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. |