³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,^{(A) 39} and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest^(B) is the end of the age,^(C) and the harvesters are angels.^(D)

⁴⁰ “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man^(E) will send out his angels,^(F) and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴² They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^{(G) 43} Then the righteous will shine like the sun^(H) in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.^(I)

¹⁸ He chose to give us birth^(A) through the word of truth,^(B) that we might be a kind of firstfruits^(C) of all he created.

⁴ These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins.^(A) They follow the Lamb wherever he goes.^(B) They were purchased from among mankind^(C) and offered as firstfruits^(D) to God and the Lamb.

Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress

¹⁴ I looked, and there before me was a white cloud,^(A) and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man^[a](B) with a crown^(C) of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵ Then another angel came out of the temple^(D) and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle^(E) and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest^(F) of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶ So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷ Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.^{(G) 18} Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar^(H) and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle^(I) and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.^{(J) 20} They were trampled in the winepress^(K) outside the city,^(L) and blood^(M) flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.^[b]