THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN 11

TEXT: MATTHEW 13: 47-50

⁴⁷ “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸ 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.⁴⁹ this is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ⁵⁰ and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Jesus made another parable to explain the kingdom of heaven. In his illustration he attributed the kingdom of God to a net that is being let down into the lake and caught all kind of fish. This simply means that the call to salvation is for all and sundry, God wants everyone to be saved through the redemption that came from His son Jesus.

To explain the parable; the net signifies the call to salvation by our lord Jesus Christ, the lake is the world and the fish represents people in the world. The net of salvation has been let down into the world by our lord Jesus by giving out the great commission which says “go and make disciples of all nation.” The net has caught all kind of fish (both genuine and “make believe” believers).

Like the fishermen did by sorting out the fish in the net, the good fish were kept and the bad ones were thrown away, consequently at the end of the age, the angels will come to separate the true believers from the hypocrites. Gone are the days when nobody wanted to be called a Christian, now Christianity is like fashion. Everybody wants to be called a “Christian” even though they have no relationship with Christ! People around you may not know your true colour, but God cannot be deceived He knows who are His (2 Timothy 2:19). Pastors are like the fishermen who use their nets to catch fish, they gather souls to Christ. The fishing net gather fish indiscriminately, it catches fish of every kind. Pastors preach the word of God, they evangelise and bring all sort of people to Christ (both genuinely saved and yet to be saved). The phrase “WHEN THE NET IS FULL” means the end time; when the Lord will separate the faithful and the righteous from sinners and the wicked. The good fish (faithful believers) will rise to everlasting life, while the bad fish (sinners) will be thrown to everlasting damnation as the scripture tells us in Revelation 22:12. The church is a mixture of mixed multitude consisting of faithful and unfaithful believers, but you can make a difference by living up to the standard of the kingdom so that you can enjoy eternal life. LIVE RIGHT TODAY!