Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So, the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tears? He said unto them, an enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, (unwanted plants) ye root up also the wheat with them. 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. Matthew 13: 24-30.
 
Why did I choose this text of the scripture to take us back into the Old Testament events of the mixed multitudes narration? It is because all the events in the Old Testament were meant for our learning and to prepare us the New Testament church for the eternal Canaan Land as we depart spiritual Egypt (world) into the wilderness prepared by God for various spiritual experiences, formation and stages of growth unto perfection in Christ, until we draw the last breath to the land of Emmanuel – heaven. Remember that the children of Israel were referred to as the church in the wilderness (Acts 7:38) which left the land of Egypt in the midnight, so it was dark to know who is who and what is what – while men slept, the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat. The mixed multitudes are those that (the seed of the serpent while the true and genuinely converted born again are the seed of the woman Genesis 3:15) sneaked into the body of Christ or the church to mingle in deception and pretentious conversion to serve God, but are actually there to corrupt or sell you out back to Satan. They are the worldly believers (Egyptians) assigned and programmed by Satan as the thorn in the flesh against the purposes of God for the Israelis (present day believers) in the wilderness. Romans 2:28. The mixed multitudes are meant to disrupt your progressive walk with God and to kill or infect your spiritual growth in the wilderness of life – that’s the work of the tares, otherwise known as weed – a valueless plant growing wild, especially one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop. They are the unrepentant and uncircumcised in heart, clandestine- assumed believers (adopted the name of Christian in other to deceive) in the church, disguising like born again, whose hidden agenda is to fulfil the will and lusts of Satan, and causing offenses by tempting and influencing others to compromise and sin against the word and will of God in the church. When the servant called the attention of the master to the presence of the tares and demanded if they should instantly remove them, he cautioned them to ignore and disregard the tares, and to let both grow together. Why such a response – was it to test the sincere love of his children to his will and obedient: or, was it as expected with God who is not willing that any should perish by giving space of time for repentance, if probably, the mixed multitudes might change from their evil pursuit and lusts to become one in mind and purpose with his true children? Note: though the Master restricted his servants from expeditious and hasty removal of the tares, it is the responsibility of the true children of the kingdom to discern through the inward fruits and not capture or impress by outward appearances or personality (there is no respect of person with God) of anyone who claims to name the name of Christ (nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, the Lord knows them that are his. And, let everyone that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 2 Timothy 2:19) and to judge, if they are true or false brethren through their attitudes and reaction to the word of God (and that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: to whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you) if they tremble to it or not, and to keep company with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart, and if otherwise, they should steer clear off – two people cannot walk together except they agreed. Isaiah 66:2. Amos 3:3. ‘As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so, shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:40-42.
 
We cannot continue to eat the Egypt food in the wilderness – labor not for the meat that perish, but that which endures to eternal life. John 6:27. How often have we been misled by the curiosity of our leaders in the church, when they asked us to give or bring what God has not commanded for his service and worship even as Moses demanded from Pharaoh? If God has told him to resist the ‘compromises of a stingy worshipper’ in the dialogue at the negotiation table at the Pharaoh’s palace for deliverance from Egypt, he could in no wise had answered Pharaoh that they knew not with what we must serve the Lord – thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God. Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God; and we know not with what we must serve the Lord, until we come thither. Exodus 10:25-26. It is a lesson that it is not all that we have in possession that shall be useful for the new walk and life in Christ. Some we must count as waste for Christ to fulfil his righteousness in our obedience, and some we must keep for use to advance his kingdom, but the mixed multitudes will come along and seek to force the church to embrace and accept Egypt attire of harlots, culture and mentality, to embrace their phony up songs and counterfeit sensual, spicy and rousing dances for praise songs, dance and worship, just to mix (incorporate and blend) things up and to blindfold between the holy and unholy practices in the church and to defile the pure worship of Jehovah in spirit and in truth. The only thing God instructed the Israelis to take out with them from Egypt were the jewels of earring (Exodus 3:22) he instructed them to borrow from the Egyptians as spoils (make a mess of, destroy or ruin and not as possession stolen or gain as goods) of the Egyptians which he reserved to teach them a future lesson about its spiritual pollution and defilement. Note: if the earrings were the spoils of the Egyptians, why should you be holding to that which defile and desecrate the temple of God – your body? Exodus 33:5. Wilderness is not a place for ceremonial dinner party for the Israelis as Moses suggested before Pharaoh (and Moses said, we will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the Lord. Exodus 10:9) just as the kingdom of God is not for socializing and banqueting in meat and drinks, but for righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Romans 14:17. God planned and prepared different kind of food and meat for them in the wilderness – Manna, the methodical, educative, development and self control food. Did you ever hear or learnt anything again about their cattle they took along with them to feast anymore after crossing the red sea? Everything of the flesh and of the world must be exhausted before we truly come into the plans and provisions of God for what is required to have now, and not what we fancy or crave for – lusts after.
 
The mixed multitudes had gathered enough of information’s about the time of their departure out of the land (Exodus 12:12) of Egypt and what is the attraction and preoccupation of the Israelis (and a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle Exodus 12:38) plainly and absolutely to captivate their thoughts and to silence any expression and earnest opposition against their company with them into the wilderness. The mixed multitudes were therefore well prepared with substances (items, materials and stuffs) to deceive the Israelis as if everything depends on materials and fleshly things to walk with and worship the Lord at the expense of obedience and submission for inner transformation for the outcome of an outward – godliness and beautification, but not as those having a form of godliness and denying the power thereof –absence of genuine or pure physical changes resulting from a new heart. It would be easy as pie to make concession with Satan to have his way in the church and in the lives of the thorny souls (and that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. Luke 8:14) for materials goods with convincing amount of cash, fund or investment, especially with the brethren taint and blemish with the love of money (but they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition) either from the pulpit to compromise, twist and adulterate the pure word of God for gain, supposing that gain is godliness, or for the simple brethren falling for lust after evil things to act in accordance with the rules, wishes and commands of the mixed multitudes against the word of God to ask (From whence come wars and fighting’s among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. You ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. You adulterers and adulteresses know you not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. James 4:1-4) for what God is not ready to give for carnal desire and selfish satisfaction to their destruction – and the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic: but now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. Numbers 11:4-6. The mixed multitudes operate differently and contrary to the word of God. They openly resist the pure and simple word of God, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth, even as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. 2 Timothy 3:7-8. They are in the church to show their scorn, disregard and open rebellion to God and his word through those things that are pleasing to the eyes, flesh and (outward beauty or charm) alluring, beguiling, captivating and seductive. They are in the churches to challenge and vex your heart to sin against God in any way possible – to influence or impact you through their waywardness and crookedness, to inflame wrong behaviors in you to provoke God by your perverse and insubordinate, murmuring against him, and envying the prosperity of fools by your admiration and imitation of them, drawing your heart and attention back to the world of sin and lusts. They dressed worldly and lustfully like the people of the world, so that you can dress worldly and lustfully in conformity to the world. They live daily to the flesh, its lusts and affection so that if you are yet to crucify the flesh with its lusts and affections (and they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Galatians 5:24) you can fall from your steadfastness into the errors of the wicked. Their daily conversation and lifestyles are designed to move and direct your mind and steps in a backward spiritual direction with the goal of equally -yoked lifestyles in a roundabout road or route back from living daily in the new creature, to the ways they’re living, dressing and speaking and doing other things in the world (Egypt) if your mind is not yet renewed to a great degree by the word of God, to serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. They are spiritually infectious and deadly, very contentious against the truth and would tell you how it was done in the other synagogues of Satan in a hostile challenge to the written and unchanging word of God to change and redirect you from the pathway of complete obedience to the faith and highway of holiness. The final thought – let both grow unto the harvest. Matthew 13:30. God has designed that his name should be glorified and the gospel of his Son be preached either by false pretenses or by good and genuine motives and sincere lifestyles in godliness. The mixed multitudes are there to fill the benches in the church, and to challenge our true stand in Christ. They are deceived by Satan and are in confusion, but very deceitful. If you bring yourself into conformity with their standards, to blend and mingle with them, you would be corrupting the holy seed with the unholy to become one with the mixed multitudes. They can be found on the pulpit (for there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Jude 4-7) or in the church as God’s anointed, but they are workers of iniquity, waste cans and compost buckets, disposable for use and afterward be destroyed in hell for eternity – appearance is deceitful, be careful. 2 Timothy 2:20.