Second Coming: The Gathering of the Saints

Wheat and the Tares

1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servants, concerning the parable of the wheat and of the tares:
2 Behold, verily I say, the field was the world, and the apostles were the sowers of the seed;
3 And after they have fallen asleep the great persecutor of the church, the apostate, the whore, even Babylon, that maketh all nations to drink of her cup, in whose hearts the enemy, even Satan, sitteth to reign—behold he soweth the tares; wherefore, the tares choke the wheat and drive the church into the wilderness.
4 But behold, in the last days, even now while the Lord is beginning to bring forth the word, and the blade is springing up and is yet tender—
5 Behold, verily I say unto you, the angels are crying unto the Lord day and night, who are ready and waiting to be sent forth to reap down the fields;
6 But the Lord saith unto them, pluck not up the tares while the blade is yet tender (for verily your faith is weak), lest you destroy the wheat also.
7 Therefore, let the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest is fully ripe; then ye shall first gather out the wheat from among the tares, and after the gathering of the wheat, behold and lo, the tares are bound in bundles, and the field remaineth to be burned. (D&C 86:1-7)

Who are the apostles?
Why did they fall asleep before the harvest?
Why do the tares choke the wheat?
Why do the tares drive the church into the wilderness?
What does that mean?
Who are the church?
What is the wilderness?

10 Virgins
How does this relate with the story of the 10 virgins? For they will be "left with the light within themselves". So what kind of light have your gained? Is that why the foolish don't come to the feast because they didn't have "light"? Why was it that the 10 virgins who were invited to the wedding feast didn't make it and the Lord had to find others?

 56 And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins.
 57 For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day. (D&C 45:56-57)

Why is it that this is past tense? HAVE taken the holy spirit as their guide. Does this mean they have already partaken of the tree of life? That they are able to endure his presence?

The Wedding Feast

1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and myfatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated themspitefully, and slew them. 7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
11 ¶And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:1-14)

Who are those that are invited to this wedding feast in these Latter days? Why were those that were invited not worthy? Why did the king have to go out and find "others" that were willing to come to the feast?

The Gathering of the Saints

How are the saints to be gathered in the last days?

The Savior says, the kingdom of heaven is like a fish net that is cast into the sea, which took of every kind, both good and bad, and by and by they brought the net to the shore, and gathered the good into vessels, and cast the bad away. So shall it be in the last days... (Orson Hyde, JOD 2:61, here)

The church is the net, the good are the wheat. But who gathers the good from the bad? Instead of quoting the NT I will quote what he says about it instead.

...If men reject the administration of angels, and will not believe in their existence, nor regard their words, I do not know how they will ever obtain access to the king. If they will not acknowledge his ministers, I do not know how they are going to speak to the king himself. 

Have angels anything to do with what will take place in the last days? He makes His angels ministering spirits, and they are sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation. (ibid, pg 64)

Angels will have a part in the work of the last days. What are they to do? Says the Savior—“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.” He let them grow together until the time of harvest; then He “will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles and burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” The field is the world. Who are the reapers? The angels are the reapers; and still, angels, you say, are coming to earth no more. This won't do, for the reapers are the angels, the good seed are the children of the kingdom, and the tares are the children of the wicked one, and the enemy that sowed them is the devil. In another place it is said, “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” And yet the present Christian world say that angels have no more to do; of course, then, they do not look for anything of this kind; their faith does not embrace the sayings of the Savior and His Apostles, touching the winding up scene: and without faith, it is impossible to please God; consequently they cannot share in the blessings of the gathering dispensation of the last days, their unbelief excludes them.  (ibid, pg 64-65)

Angels minister to those who are heirs of salvation that is their purpose. Joseph said the same thing about Enoch. This puts a predicament to those who don't believe angels appear to men anymore, or to those that believe only leaders, apostles, prophets, receive angels, or to those who believe in angels but are not worthy of them for they are only "showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness" (Moroni 7:30)

Lectures on Faith states the following.

9 It was in offering sacrifices that Abel, the first martyr, obtained knowledge that he was accepted of God. And from the days of righteous Abel to the present time, the knowledge that men have that they are accepted in the sight of God, is obtained by offering sacrifice: and in the last days, before the Lord comes, he is to gather together his saints who have made a covenant with him by sacrifice. Ps. 50: 3,4,5. Our God shall clime, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant unto me by sacrifice.  (Lecture 6)

How does one make a covenant by Sacrifice? Does this mean this type of covenant is only given AFTER sacrifice?