John used a lot of metaphor from the culture of Israel that the Pharisees and Sadducees would immediately recognize.

John the baptist, and Christ, both warned of the impending wrath to come on that generation. John only preached regarding the coming of the Messiah, "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12 NKJV).

John used a lot of metaphor from the culture of Israel that the Pharisees and Sadducees would immediately recognize. Winnowing fans and Threshing floors were critical to harvest time and to the life of the people of Israel, and they were highly valued. Because of the need for wind, threshing floors were normally located on hilltops or in large open fields, and were often used as landmarks (Genesis 50:10, 2 Samuel 6:6) or meeting places (1 Kings 22:10).

Threshing floors were used to separate grain from the chaff at harvest time. This was usually a two step process. First, the cut stalks of grain were spread on the threshing floor and a threshing sledge was pulled over the stalks by oxen or donkeys. The sledge was a simple wooden sled or heavy board with stone or metal spikes on the bottom that would break the heads of grain from the stalks.

Isaiah 41:15 "Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, And make the hills like chaff. The same thing could be accomplished by having the oxen trample the stalks (Deuteronomy 25:4) or by beating them with heavy sticks (Judges 6:11).

The second step was to toss the broken stalks into the air. During the times of ancient Israel winnowing fan and threshing floor, were well apart of their culture and the Pharisees and Sadducees were will familiar with them. Because of the Israelites' familiarity with the winnowing fan and threshing floor, it was a ideal illustrative purposes.

When the Bible speaks of winnowing fan the shovel or wooden fork it was used to separated the grain from the chaff by throwing it against the wind. The wind causes the mass of material to fall to the threshing floor. Since the grain is the heaviest, it naturally falls beneath the fan to the threshing floor. The straw and the chaff which are lighter are blown to the side into a heap. The Psalmist was also familiar with this concept. Psalm 1:4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Jeremiah was also familiar with this. Jeremiah 13:24 "I will scatter you like chaff driven by the desert wind.

Because there was generally a breeze blowing in the evening, this was the time when it was normally done. So Naomi said to Ruth concerning Boaz: "Behold, he winnoweth barley tonight in the threshing floor" (Ruth 3:2). The wind would blow the lighter chaff to one side, that was later burned, while the heavier grain would fall back on the floor, to be gathered into the barn. Threshing and winnowing are common metaphors for judgment. (Daniel 2:35; Isaiah 21:9-10; Jeremiah 15:7, 51:2, 33; Hosea 13:3)

What is often missed in scripture is Jesus used a similar illustration as John when talking about the harvest and judgment at the end of the Old Covenant age. Notice the language of separating the tares from among the wheat by Jesus. Matthew 13:24-30 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who 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 grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. "So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' "He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' "But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 'Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."

Lest look unto this a little deeper from the historical context of the first century. First let me explain something..... For the enemy to plant his seed in the same field was an out-right disrespect to the farmer. Back then the only time a second farmer planted on the same field as another represented a deep hatred. Problem was, the farmer knew who their enemy was.

The farmer's helper wanted to pull up the weeds and the tares but was forbidden. The farmer told him to let them grow together. If any of the weeds or tares were pulled out, it could destroy the roots of the wheat. The farmers, knowing it wouldn't be so easy to decipher. So he tell the helper to wait until full grown then the reapers will gather them.

In truth they all look the same viewing it with the naked eye. From the distance and even close up, tares looks like wheat. They look very different when full grown. Likewise during the first century the only one who could tell the tares form the wheat was the Lord Himself who explains it to us plainly. Matthew 13:38 "The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. In John Jesus is speaking to the Jewish leaders said. "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. (John 8:44)

These were the tares the sons of the wicked one among the wheat the sons of God. The primary rule of hermeneutics is to let (Scripture interpret Scripture). This means that no part of Scripture can be interpreted in such a way as to render it in conflict with what is clearly taught elsewhere in Scripture.

Notice what the prophets Jeremiah had to say about a winnowing fan the city of Jerusalem. Jeremiah 15:5-7 "For who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem? Or who will bemoan you? Or who will turn aside to ask how you are doing? You have forsaken Me," says the LORD, "You have gone backward. Therefore I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you; I am weary of relenting! And I WILL WINNOW THEM WITH A WINNOWING FAN in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children; I will destroy My people, Since they do not return from their ways.

Now notice what the prophet Hosea had to say about the chaff on the threshing floor. Hosea 13:3-4 Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears, like chaff swirling from a threshing floor, like smoke escaping through a window. "But I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me. John the Baptist applied all these things to the people of his time and generation. There is a period called the all ready but not yet. God waited another 40 years for them to repent however John was indeed right God’s judgement did come upon that very generation.