The Parable of the Net
The Parable of the Net
Matthew 13:47-51
“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Have you understood all these things?”
The Parable of the Net has many similarities to the Parable of the Weeds
Both Parables were told to address the presence of wicked people in God's Kingdom
In both parables, there are Good and Bad people in God's Kingdom
The Wheat in one parable are identical to the Good fish in the other parable and the Weeds in the first parable are identicle to the Bad Fish in the second
God wants us to leave it up to Him and His angels to weed out of his Kingdom everything that causes evil
God will sort out the Good Fish from the Bad Fish or the Wheat from the Tares at the end of the age
Bad Fish or Tares will be thrown into the fire
The Bible tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God
How then can God say that there are Good Fish and Bad Fish; Wheat or Tares?
The Good Fish (Wheat) are those that love what is right and bare good fruit. Bad Fish (Tares) are those that love evil and bare bad fruit.
In the parable of the Net, one would not expect the Net to catch all the fish that are in the Lake
Although not the focus of the parable, one might suppose that some Good and Bad fish remain uncaught in the Lake
It is not hard to imagine people in the world and in the chuch who are like this
How then does God judge or treat such people
In order to understand this, one needs to have a good understanding of End Times Revelation
The Bible ends with a beautiful vision of the New Jerusalem descending from heaven with 12 gates symbolizing the 12 tribes of Israel and 12 foundations symbolizing the 12 apostles. The New Jerusalem is surrounded by the Nations
God's people are given authority over the Nations and God's people have the Name of the New Jerusalem written on them
The nations are not as privileged as the people who live in the New Jerusalem; they only get to enter the New Jerusalem once per year
The nations are in the Lambs Book of Life yet they do not get to enjoy God's presence continually like those who are in the New Jerusalem. The leaves of the Tree of Life are given for their healing
All who worship the Beast will be thrown into the Lake of Fire
Are there Good people in the nations who do not get thrown into the Lake of Fire?
The parable of the Net gives us insight into who these people might be
All good fish who have made Christ Lord will go to Heaven for 1000 years to reign with Christ and then will descend from Heaven to become the New Jerusalem on a New Earth in Eternity
If you are a good fish but you have not made Christ Lord, then you will go to hell when you die but will be raised at the end of the Millennium to be Judged at the Great White Throne. If your name is in the Lambs book of life then you will spend Eternity in the Nations on the New Earth. If you are alive when Christ comes back, you will stand on Christ's right as the sheep and will continue to live on earth as the Nations during the Millennium and will become the Nations on the New Earth in eternity
The bad fish who are in the Church are false Christians (Foolish Virgins, Tares, Prostitutes or Wolves in Sheep's clothing
Bad fish are those who worship the Beast
Their names will not be in the Lamb's book of Life
All bad fish go to hell
Good Fish in the Church are represented as Wheat - they love God and have accepted the Gospel
Good fish in the World are also wheat but are represented here as Sheep to distinguish them from those that accepted the Gospel (as per the Sheep and the Goats in Matt 25)
Bad Fish in the Church are represented as Tares (Weeds) - they do not love God but have found some solace in the Gospel
Bad Fish in the World could also be represented as weeds but to distinguish them from those in the Church they are represented as Goats (as per the Sheep and the Goats in Matt 25)
God will Judge the Church first
Revelation 14:14-20
I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of manb with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
The Wheat and the Tares will be judged ahead of the Sheep and the Goats
The wheat and the tares will be harvested by different angels at the end of the age as per Revelation 14:14-20
The Sheep and the Goats are left behind and will be judged at the Battle of Armageddon shortly afterwards
When Christ comes unexpectedly at the Seventh Trumpet, true Christians (wheat) and false Christians (weeds) will be removed from the Earth
Those who are left behind will be divided into the Sheep (good pagans) and Goats (bad pagans)
The Goats will go to Hell but the Sheep will be rewarded
During the Millennium, the Wheat will be in Heaven and the Weeds will be in Hell
The 144000 Jews will be on Earth during the Millennium along with a select number of these 'sheep nations'
The parable of the Net divides the people of the World into 4 types of people
Good or Bad, inside or outside the net
Then God will Judge the Nations
Matthew 25:31-46
Those outside the Net will be divided into the Sheep and the Goats when Christ comes on the Day of the Lord
The Sheep are those who were kind to God's people and the Goats are those who persecuted God's people
At the End of the Millennium, pagans will be raised for Judgment
Those whose names are in the Lamb's book of life will become the nations in Eternity
The New Jerusalem descends from Heaven to a New Earth where it will be surrounded by the New Nations
The Sheep and the Goats are like Good and Bad Fish, Wheat and Weeds, in the Nations respectively
see the Parable of the Weeds
