The title of this blog may lead you to think I am writing about the internet. Who knew Jesus was going to deal with such a subject :-)? While we may relate to "the net" that way, when Jesus spoke this parable, the people understood that He was dealing with fishing.
"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."
(Matthew 13:47-50)
While some parables are not explained to us in some cases, in this case Jesus gives us the parable and then tells us its meaning. It is a simple parable that is intended to convey a picture of the end of time, when this physical world ends and God ushers in the "new heaven and new earth".
Jesus tells us that the end will be like when a fisherman casts a net into the water and pulls it up filled with all kinds of fish. The fisherman sits down and sorts through the fish in the net and separates out the good fish from the bad fish.
This next weekend several of us (men from our church) are going fishing on the Carolina coast. Undoubtedly, we will pull in all kinds of fish and will judge which to keep and which to throw back. Some fish are good to eat while others are not. Hopefully, some of the men going are better at making that decision than I am. While I may not be able to decide which fish are keepers and which are best to throw away, God is the perfect judge and He will not make any mistakes.
When the end comes, Jesus will return one last time, though the scripture teaches he will never set foot on this earth again. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) He will call the dead back to life and then call the living to be changed and together they will meet Him in the air and they will be with Him forever. I know many of you have been taught other things from prophecy, but this is the clearest picture of what is going to happen that the Bible provides. So for me, this is what I believe. With this scripture, no interpretation of symbolic language and pictures is needed. Simple, straight forward.... Jesus is coming back to claim His people and take them to heaven with Him.
What about those that don't belong to Him? This parable gives the clear answer to that question. The good fish are kept and the bad fish are thrown away. I know that it is not politically correct these days to speak so plainly, but Jesus wasn't concerned about political correctness. He was concerned about truth and telling everyone about it. Here it is.... if you are a good fish (the righteous) you are put into the cooler and you get to go home with Him. If you are a bad fish (the wicked) then you are thrown into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. That is the truth that is contained in Jesus message.
There is a movement afoot these days to reinterpret scripture and to remove the concept of hell. Some now say that hell is just being separated from God, while others say that hell is being destroyed eternally in death. They say there is no hell and that there is no eternal punishment. They ask questions like "what kind of God would eternally punish someone in a lake of fire?”
In all things, let us allow God's word have the final say. What does the Bible teach about these things? There are many scriptures that deal with the end of time, but for simplicity sake, let's look at one... Mark 9:43-44.
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— where‘ Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched."
Jesus tells us just how serious to take hell. If our hand is causing us to sin, cut it off. Now I don't believe Jesus is advocating chopping off our hands; rather, He is saying that whatever is causing us to sin, whatever is causing us to be separated from God leads to eternal punishment in hell and must be dealt with. This sin must be removed from our lives or it will lead to eternal punishment in "the fire that shall never be quenched" where our "worm does not die". The picture here is of the wicked being cast into eternal fires that burn them but never consume them.
With this picture firmly in our minds, may we approach the Father with thankfulness, knowing that our sins have been dealt with by His Son. Jesus went to the cross and bore our sins so that we, through His sacrifice can escape the fires of hell. Without Him our destination is sure and with Him our home is guaranteed. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57) Read verses 56 and 58 also.
The question Jesus is asking us today is this, "what kind of fish are we?” Where will I spend eternity, with Him or away from Him? Only obedience to the gospel will provide the escape from an eternity in hell. (2 Thessalonians 1:8, 1 Peter 4:17) If you have not done so, obey the gospel today... place your trust in the risen Savior, repent of your sins, confess His name before men, be immersed into Him through baptism for the forgiveness of your sins and live a life as His devoted disciple. That is what everyone did in the early church. Don't take my word for it, read through the book of Acts and do what they did. May God richly bless us as we study His Word and may He give us courage to be obedient?
No comments:
Post a Comment