25. The Kingdom Parables – The Seventh - The Parable Of The Dragnet - Part 1 Of 6 Series

25. THE KINGDOM PARABLES – THE SEVENTH - THE PARABLE OF THE DRAGNET - PART 1 of 6

[1]. INTRODUCTION

This is the last of the Kingdom Parables. Often called, The Parable of the Dragnet, it is about a large net that sweeps up everything and sends it to be sorted. It the final gathering and distribution and shortly we look at that Parable, but firstly, let us consider this Parable in context.

As we progressed through all six of the previous parables, we saw remarkable things. Most significantly, these parables were in a definite exact order that matched the progress of Church History in the past 2 000 years. Additionally, each parable matched one of the churches in Asia Minor in Revelation 2 and 3, but also in exact order. The last church there is Laodicea and we will see also a perfect match with that church and the Dragnet.

The first Parable was that of the Sower when the good seed was sown in the world. It is the Lord who is the Sower, and that represents the beginning of the gospel. The remaining 5 parables saw the progress of the initial preaching, through difficult times; times or corruption; times of refreshing, but in the last parable we see the net being drawn up to close this whole 2 000 year period at the end of the age.

[2]. THE PARABLE OF THE DRAGNET

Matthew 13:47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea and gathering fish of every kind,

Matthew 13:48 and when it was filled they drew it up on the beach, and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers but the bad they threw away.

Matthew 13:49 SO IT WILL BE AT THE END OF THE AGE. The angels shall come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous,

Matthew 13:50 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”}}

[A]. WHAT IS THE END OF THE AGE?

In every part of God’s word we must look for the key pointers. God expects us to do that, otherwise we are lazy and lack discernment. The parable here tells a story, so to obtain the correct understanding we must be certain of the setting.

I have highlighted the setting in capitalised letters. The setting is “at the end of the age”. The word “age” is used a lot in the bible and, depending on context, it can have various applications and settings, but in this case it is very clear.

The parable is so precise as to what will happen, and therefore we are in no doubt what the end of the age will be. Let us go forward a bit in Matthew to a most important question – {{Matthew 24:3-4 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be THE SIGN OF YOUR COMING AND OF THE END OF THE AGE?” Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you,”}}

Then in the remainder of Chapter 24 Jesus describes the great judgement on the world we know as the Tribulation and this chapter matches so perfectly the events of Revelation chapter 6, the start of the Tribulation.

The end of the age is when human history/government has run its course and the new age of Messiah’s rule will come when He reigns for 1 000 years – {{Revelation 20:4 “I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them, and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand, and they came to life AND REIGNED WITH CHRIST FOR A THOUSAND YEARS. This is the first resurrection.”}}. In context, see Revelation 20:1-8.

Therefore the end of the age is when human government as we know it will end. Jesus comes to reign and He will be King over the whole earth – {{Zechariah 14:9 “And THE LORD WILL BE KING OVER ALL THE EARTH; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one.”}}

{{Zechariah 14:16 “Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year TO WORSHIP THE KING, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.”}}

The age comes to its end when Jesus returns. This is known as The Second Coming, or Second Advent, or His Coming in Glory. Therefore the parable of the Dragnet will happen just after the Second Coming. That is the correct setting for the parable. It is the final reaping of the harvest that began with the seed being sown by the Sower in the first parable. I will develop this more later on.