(The Future Aspect of the Kingdom, p. 149--Christ in the Synoptic Gospels)
Why are the righteous and wicked not separated now, on earth? Why not remove the "good" so the "bad" are not an influence?
The righteous live among the wicked to show them the kingdom of God. How will the wicked see and want to join the kingdom? We are not to participate in sin, neither are we to hide away. If you are a growing Christian, you have the tools to withstand sin. In our growing is where we demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit. We show God's love, we exhibit joy, we display the Spirit of peace, we forbear with others, we are kind to those less fortunate, we do good to those who do wrong to us, we are faithful to our call, we are gentle with ones who are different than us, and we demonstrate self-control. We are to be different so others see a difference and are attracted to that difference.
If the good and the bad are separated, then that is forever dooming the bad without any further chance of redemption. Imagine if the people of Ninevah were deemed "bad" and Jonah was never allowed to go and preach the message of repentance to them. How would they have heard? How would they ever had a chance to repent and get right with God (in essence, move from "bad" to "good"). Think about our own lives. What were we like when someone shared the message with us? Were we once "bad"? Yet, God saw something in us that allowed the "good" message to transform our life. We need the good and the bad to live together for the sake of both sides.
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