Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 13:40-42

"As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in the end of the world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth." — Matthew 13:40-42 (ASV)

What a description! The gathering out of all things that offend, and of all persons who cause others to stumble and who work evil, will be a consummation to be earnestly desired. Not only the outwardly wicked, but the false pretenders, the mock wheat, will be removed.

This will be the purging not of the Church, but of the kingdom, which at that time will include the whole field of the world. We could not carry out this clearing, but the Lord’s own angels can and will.

This will be in the end of this world, the end and climax of this dispensation. The fate of these ungodly ones will be fire, the most terrible of punishments, but this will not annihilate them, for they will exhibit the most certain signs of living suffering, wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Sooner or later, this is what must become of evil people. Though in this world they flourish in the same field with believers, and can scarcely be distinguished from them, they will be removed from such honorable association and be thrown, with the rubbish of the universe, into that great furnace of fire whose smoke goes up for ever and ever.

This the Son of Man will do with authority. The angels are simply the executioners of the wrath of the Lamb.