In the Bible, the concept of harvest is frequently used in a figurative sense to convey spiritual truths and moral lessons. The imagery of harvest is rich and multifaceted, symbolizing themes such as judgment, evangelism, and the fruition of one's actions.

Judgment and Eschatology

The harvest metaphor is prominently used to describe the final judgment and the end of the age. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus uses the parable of the weeds to illustrate this concept: "The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels" (Matthew 13:39). Here, the harvest signifies the time when God will separate the righteous from the wicked, akin to a farmer separating wheat from weeds. This eschatological theme is further emphasized in Revelation 14:15, where an angel calls out, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe."

Evangelism and the Spread of the Gospel

The harvest also symbolizes the mission of evangelism and the gathering of souls into the Kingdom of God. Jesus speaks to His disciples about the spiritual harvest in John 4:35: "Do you not say, 'There are still four months until the harvest'? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest." This passage underscores the urgency and readiness of people to receive the Gospel, encouraging believers to actively participate in the work of evangelism.

Similarly, in Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus tells His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest." This call to prayer highlights the need for laborers in God's mission field, emphasizing the abundance of opportunities to share the Gospel.

Fruition of Actions and Moral Consequences

The principle of sowing and reaping is another figurative use of harvest, illustrating the moral and spiritual consequences of one's actions. In Galatians 6:7-9, Paul writes, "Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." This passage serves as a moral exhortation, reminding believers that their actions have lasting spiritual implications.

Spiritual Growth and Maturity

The harvest metaphor also conveys the idea of spiritual growth and maturity. In the parable of the growing seed, Jesus describes the Kingdom of God as a seed that grows and eventually produces a harvest: "All by itself the earth produces a crop—first the stalk, then the head, then grain that ripens within. And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come" (Mark 4:28-29). This imagery reflects the process of spiritual development, culminating in a mature faith that bears fruit.

In summary, the figurative use of harvest in the Bible encompasses a range of spiritual themes, including judgment, evangelism, moral consequences, and spiritual growth. These themes are woven throughout Scripture, offering profound insights into the nature of God's Kingdom and the believer's role within it.Job 24:6
They reap every one his corn in the field: and they gather the vintage of the wicked.
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Proverbs 10:5
He that gathers in summer is a wise son: but he that sleeps in harvest is a son that causes shame.
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Jeremiah 8:20
The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
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Joel 3:13
Put you in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
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Matthew 9:37
Then said he to his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few;
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Matthew 13:39
The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
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Luke 10:2
Therefore said he to them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray you therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.
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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 your sickle, and reap: for the time is come for you to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
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7114. qatsar -- to be short
... A primitive root; to dock off, ie Curtail (transitive or intransitive, literal or
figurative); especially to harvest (grass or grain) -- X at all, cut down ...
/hebrew/7114.htm - 5k

The Figurative Language of Scripture.
... one of this class of expositors, the maiming of the body is figurative language,
and so ... tares sown by his enemy, the separation, at the time of harvest, of the ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxv the figurative language.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. xiii. 19, Etc. , Where the Lord ...
... wish to root up the evil ones; be quiet, it is not the time of harvest. ... what they
are in propriety of expression; the Latter both together in a figurative sense ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon xxiii on the words.htm

Letter clxxx. (AD 416. )
... statement of the Lord, by means of this obscure kind of figurative language, saying ...
For who will charge the man who says that harvest fields wave and children ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/letter clxxx a d 416.htm

Of the Section Where it is Recorded, that Being Moved with ...
... Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth [963] labourers into His harvest. ... them
with a literal import, and others of them with a figurative, although the ...
/.../augustine/the harmony of the gospels/chapter xxx of the section where.htm

The Fifth vision "In Heaven"
... the whole harvest, or the larger number. ... who were not defiled with women, for they
are virgins.] These words are generally taken as "figurative." But figures ...
/.../bullinger/commentary on revelation/the fifth vision in heaven.htm

Hymns, Festival and Occasional.
... with the more modern and less figurative". "No hostile chiefs to furious combat
ran.". ... One thinks of a bird-note making a waterfall listen. "HARVEST HOME.". ...
/.../brown/the story of the hymns and tunes/chapter xiii hymns festival and.htm

The Tares.
... wheat which they sow in certain fields in spring grows as zowan in harvest. ... to the
twelve, the Lord Jesus undertook to translate a figurative expression which ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/ii the tares.htm

The Sermon on the Mount.
... Censorious judgment and its harvest are merely one form of culture which comes under ...
It is more blessed to give than to receive." The figurative language is ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xlii the sermon on the 7.htm

Jesus at the Well of Sychar
... see if they but lifted them, the fields were white unto the harvest: all this ... water.'
In the Old Testament a perennial spring had, in figurative language, been ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter viii jesus at the.htm

The Leaven of the Pharisees
... the mount that burned; Samuel had been answered by thunder and rain in the wheat
harvest; and Elijah ... Thereupon they perceived that His warning was figurative. ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 8 11-21 the leaven of.htm

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