the redemptive work of God and so bring to nought His great Kingdom purposes. This

colossal conflict of the ages has gone on without intermission since the time that Satan

first aspired to take God's place. It is all the more difficult to perceive because it is

spiritual, behind the scene, and not apprehended by the senses.

It can be traced throughout the Old and New Testaments. The primeval promise of

Gen. 3: 14, 15 introduces this age-long conflict as far as it relates to the human race, "I

will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman, between thy seed and her seed. It

shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise His heel". The antagonism of Satan is bitter

and intense and worsens as time proceeds, and comes to a colossal climax at the end time

described by the Book of Revelation.

The doctrine of the two seeds, though denied by some, cannot be ignored if one

seriously studies the sacred Scriptures, nor can the slowness (from a human standpoint)

of the realization of the great plan of God for His universe be understood without it. We

have seen in these studies that many of Israel's religious leaders were declared to be the

children of Satan by both the Baptist and the Lord, although in their own estimation they

were the children of Abraham. Externally this was true. Outwardly they appeared to be

the true wheat, but inwardly they were the "chaff" of John's denunciation (Matt.iii.11,12)

and the "tares" or "darnel" of the parable before us, whose end was to be burned up and

destroyed. This darnel was a bastard wheat which resembles the true except that the

grains were black. In its earlier stages of growth it was indistinguishable from real wheat

and remained so until the harvest.  Hence the Lord's prohibition of the disciples

attempting to weed it out, lest they inadvertently pulled up the true wheat with it.

Later on, in His argument with the Pharisees, He told them plainly that they were of

their father, the devil (John 8: 39, 41, 44). We ought not to forget the Lord's opening

words of this parable "the Kingdom of heaven has become like . . . . .", and this was the

result of the rejection of Christ given in chapters 11: and 12:

The two seeds are still in existence today and await the Second Coming of the Lord to

judge and separate them, nor can His Kingdom become a reality until this takes place.

One thing we do not find is tares converted into wheat or any hope of such a thing

It is not quite certain what plant is meant by the mustard, but it is obviously one which

grows to a large size from a very small seed. In verse 32 it is described as the smallest of

all seeds. There is no need to make a difficulty of this when we remember it is seed sown

in fields which is being described. "Small as a mustard seed" was a Jewish proverb.

The word "tree" does not necessarily mean a timber tree. After all, we speak of a rose

tree or gooseberry tree without misunderstanding. When Mark records this parable he

gives the Lord's words "What shall we say the Kingdom of God is like, or what parable

shall we use to describe it?" (Mark 4: 30, N.I.V.), suggesting that the analogy was