“The Fishing Net”

 “The Fishing Net”

 

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind.  When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away.”    Matthew 13:47-48

 

Jesus, often taught people, using parables as His teaching technique. A parable is an EARTHLY STORY with a HEAVENLY MEANING. He did this to HELP them UNDERSTAND what He was telling them.  And they were definitely familiar with FISHING and the FISHING EQUIPMENT.  

 

For most it was their LIVELIHOOD.  So, one of the things they had to help them pull in the LOADS and LOADS of FISH was the NET.  Now, the FISHERMEN knew that the MOST IMPORTANT thing was to KEEP their NETS READY for the BIG LOADS.  And they MADE SURE that their NETS were READY for the BIG LOADS that would be coming in SOON. 

 

In His telling of this parable, Jesus COMPARED the Kingdom of Heaven to that of a FISHING NET. The FISHING NET was thrown into the water, and it would be dragged along the bottom of the river or lake to catch the FISH.  Then the fishermen would take the NET to shore, and they would SORT the FISH.  The GOOD FISH would go into BASKETS, and the BAD FISH would be thrown away.  

 

Then He gave them the HEAVENLY MEANING to the PARABLE.  He told the people that the SORTING represented the Angelic separation of the WICKED from the RIGHTEOUS ones, The Angels will THROW the WICKED into the FIERY FURNACE, where there will be WEEPING and GNASHING of teeth. This will take place at the END of the AGE.  It will happen when JESUS, GOD’S ONLY SON, returns to earth to set up His KINGDOM.  

 

The Righteous, those whose NAME is WRITTEN down in the LAMB’S BOOK of LIFE, will be the ONES who will spend their ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS, and be able to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  Is your NAME written down in the LAMB’S BOOK of LIFE?  It CAN be, IF you will ACCEPT JESUS as your SAVIOR and LORD.  To do that you MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, and you MUST BELIEVE that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for YOU, before GOD.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN to GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and BE a GOOD FISH, with YOUR NAME written in the LAMB’S BOOK of LIFE.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!