The Parable Of The Fishing Net Series

Dr. Bradford Reaves

CrossWay Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD

www.mycrossway.org

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:47-50)

This is the last of seven Parables found in Matthew 13, and it is the climax of all the Parables. It is a parable about judgment.

If you were a Jew in the Old Testament, you would draw your timeline with a present age and an age to come, separated by Messiah’s coming. The prophets did not see the Church Age. They didn’t see a second coming; only one advent.

A careful look at Old Testament prophecies shows an underlying assumption of two advents. Micah 5:2 and Isaiah 7:14 predict the first advent. Separately, Isaiah 53:8–9 predicts a suffering and dying Messiah, who will be given life and greatness according to Isaiah 53:11–12. Daniel 9:26 describes the Messiah being killed after His appearance. At the same time, prophets such as Zechariah (Zechariah 12:10) say this same “pierced” Messiah will be seen again by His enemies. So the clues are there. (GotQuestions)

The Hebrew Scriptures indicate that the Promised One would appear, be cut off, and reappear in victory. The first advent has occurred; the second is still future. Both the New and Old Testaments predict a second advent of the Messiah.

We now know that everything promised in the Old Testament was not fulfilled when Jesus first came. Jesus said that He would be back to do the rest. In the meantime, something is going on that no one in the Old Testament knew about.

What is going on between these advents becomes the question, and Matthew Chapter 13 answers the question.

We’re talking about the mystery of the Church and the Church Age. This is only a very temporary time in the prophetic plan of God. There is coming a time when the Church Age will be completed and Israel will again reenter the scene to complete God’s prophetic plan. This final 7 years of Daniel’s 70 - 7’s in Daniel Chapter 9.

In Matt 12:24 the religious leaders accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Satan. This is the climax of the rejection by the leadership.

Matt 13 is a pivotal point in the literary structure of the book of Matthew. It is a turning point in Jesus' ministry. In Matt 13, Jesus begins talking about the mystery form of the kingdom by telling parables. We know that because in Matthew 13:10, the disciples asked Jesus why he was speaking in parables. He answered that he was revealing the mysteries of the Kingdom. This parable vividly illustrates the coming judgement of God and the reality of Hell.

-The Parable of the Soils talks about the sewing of the seeds of the Kingdom into the hearts of Man

-The Parable of the Wheat and Tares talks about the counterfeit kingdom of Satan sewn among the seeds of the Kingdom of God

-The Parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven introduce the unnatural growth of worldly systems in attempt to make the Kingdom into something it is not.

-The Parable of the Hidden Treasure is a mystery nature and realized value of the Kingdom

-The Parable of the Pearl again underscores the magnanimity of the Kingdom and the requirement that one abandons all to obtain it.

And now we come to the climax of these Parables, which underscores the immense cost of rejecting the Kingdom for the treasures of this world. It is the eternal separation of the damned from the redeemed.

To some, it is uncomfortable to discuss hell. Most people today don’t want the topic addressed, especially in church. We discussed this fact when we learned about the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus on April 21 & 28. The fact is that Jesus talked more about Hell than about Heaven and Love. The whole world is moving toward this. The prophetic clock is rapidly spinning as we come to the culmination of time, the Rapture of the Church, the entry of the Antichrist and the Beast System, and ultimately the glorious return of Christ and the judgement of the living and the dead. This parable serves as a warning.

1. The Picture the Lord Paints

Verse 47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.