47 Again, the kingdom of
heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every
kind: 48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and
gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 49 So shall it be at
the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from
among the just, 50 And shall cast them into
the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matt 13:47-50)
The
Collect
Trinity
Sunday
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A
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LMIGHTY and
everlasting God, who hast given unto us thy servants grace, by the confession
of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the
power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity; We beseech thee that thou
wouldest keep us stedfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from all
adversities, who livest and reignest, one God, world without end. Amen.
Heretofore we
have discussed things related to the sky (Light), the earth (salt), the fields,
and in the last two verses, 45 & 46, of Matthew, the product of the sea
which is most precious on earth – the Pearl of Great Price. This last parable
flows naturally to the next of the endless sea and its treasures which are held
in trust awaiting the fisherman's net. The sea is the world which holds every
soul born to woman. It is also the largest of all graves. It is the sea of
humanity from which arises the false church and the anti-Christ system that is
to come, and is already among us. (Rev 13 & 17) There are three prominent
factors introduced in verse 47: the NET (the Gospel), the SEA
(the World), and EVERY KIND OF CREATURE (all of Humanity)
offered up by the sea. A fourth implied factor is the fishermen (Christ
and His followers) who cast and draw the net. It should be pointed out that the
Greek word for net used here means DRAGNET, or large net, that
takes in all that it encompasses without discretion.
The sea
has always presented an exotic and mysterious aura to me. It seems endless,
though, from God's view on high, its borders are limited by His natural power
and laws. It is a body of great depth, and it has untold numbers of dead at its
bottom. The deeper you descend into the sea (world) the less light is visible
until, at its very depth of thousands of feet, it is utterly dark. The world
itself is the same. The more we are engulfed by the things of the world, the
darker becomes our view of righteous living. The sea, too, is very much like
the heart of man – full of mysteries not visible from the surface. As we look
out to sea, we only observe endless waves and tides that prevent our view
beneath its surface. But, if we are carried on high and view the sea from above
(as God views the human heart) we can see the shoals and banks that lie beneath
the coastal waters. We may even see prowling sharks (demons) that lie in wait
for the soul of the careless surfer. This is the world in macrocosm. Every
imaginable species of sea life exist there. But man is created for heaven and
not the sea. If he enters the sea without returning from it, he will forfeit
his life.
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a
net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind. Indeed, every kind that is gathered includes the good and
the evil together. The labors of the Church are not suited for the weak and
lazy. There is much effort required in casting such a large net out at sea, and
it must be informed of the wisdom of a season fisherman who knows the ways and
habits of sea life. One man is incapable of the task – many men, and many
ships, are required to deploy the Drag Net (Gospel). The intent of the
fishermen who deploy the dragnet is not to catch only good and wholesome fish,
but to catch every kind that falls under the nets purview. We cannot cast the
Dragnet while standing comfortably on the shore. We must go into the sea itself
and we must go to the place where the highest yield of sea life may be found.
48 Which, when it was full,
they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast
the bad away. Beloved reader, please observe how timely your coming to
Christ must be! The Dragnet, though large compared to a seine net, is very
small compared to the great waters of the sea, and is able to harvest only a
tiny percentage of the creatures of the sea. Remember, too, that all creatures
taken by the Dragnet are not found worthy of the Great Fisherman's choice. For many are
called, but few are chosen. (Matt 22:14) How sad will be our destiny if we find
ourselves so blessed as to be taken up in the Master's Dragnet, but found
unworthy of the final cut. Notice, also, that the net can hold only a limited
amount of fish before it becomes full. There is a fullness of time when the
gates of God's mercy shall be closed forever. None will be admitted to the
Banquet Supper after the gates are closed. Only after the numbers of those who
are called has been satisfied, shall the great Net be drawn to shore. Only the
numbers of the Kingdom of Heaven (while on earth) that conforms to the will of
God will be gathered to shore prior to being taken up to God. And I saw
another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to
preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and
tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to
him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven,
and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. (Rev 14:6-7)
Observe
that the NET (Kingdom of Heaven), while on earth, is comprised of both good and
evil. Please do not mistake church membership for Holiness before God. Remember
the Two Seeds of wheat and tares in the same field, the Mustard Tree that
contained both good and bad (demons in its branches), and the leavened bread
which has true wheat under the influence of leaven which puffs up. And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he
shall separate them one from another
(Matt 25:32 (KJV) Wolves
(demons) are drawn as readily as lambs to the mountain pastures. Men of
devious character are drawn to the church for they find it a place where good
men will more readily trust them and be deceived by their plans to gain filthy
lucre. The pulpit is not immune to being occupied by such rascals. There is a
Day of Dividing which lies ahead when the Kingdom of Heaven has reached its
limits of capacity. At that time, the net will be drawn to shore. The fish will
be drawn as they are, and not what they may become. There will be no escaping
the DRAGNET. Remember, beloved reader, the days of Noah when God brought to an
end the invitation to repent and commanded: And the LORD said unto
Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark. (Gen 7:1) You will note
that God did not command, as the popular Hollywood movies say, "Go into
the Ark", but "COME into the Ark!" Why? Because God is always
the source and place of safety for us. He is ever our refuge. Note also that
Noah did not shut the door on salvation to men, for that prerogative is
reserved for the LORD only: "…..and the LORD shut him in."
(Gen 7:16) So shall it be when the Dragnet is drawn to shore.
While
the creatures of every kind are in the Dragnet, they remain together (Kingdom
of Heaven), but when they are taken out of the net, they are separated (the
good placed into vessels and the bad cast away).
What
does all this mean to you, mean, and every other soul drawn into the Kingdom of
Heaven? 49 So shall it
be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked
from among the just. There
is coming a Final Harvest of good seed which shall be winnowed from the bad,
the choice fish separated from the unclean. The harvester will wield the
Tribulatum (a three-pronged pitchfork) to cast the grains of seed into the
wind. The wind will separate the chaff from the wheat by blowing the chaff away
and allowing the wholesome seed to fall back to the earth as pure and good
seed. The term, tribulatum, is the same from which the term `tribulation' is
derived. Will man decide who are the good fishes? No, that is also the sole
prerogative of the LORD. At the End of all Time, the Lord will send forth His
Holy angels to sever the wicked from the just.
50 And shall cast them into
the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. If you shed your hot tears of repentance today, you may be
spared those wailing tears and gnashing of teeth when the doors of mercy are
closed on the wicked of mankind. It is often true that the professing
Christians of our day find any display of righteous judgment to be unsavory.
They are quick to label the preacher of righteousness who condemns, through
God's Word, the wicked as too judgmental and lacking in love. To those, if
there be any among the readers of this devotion, I will simply remind them of
the terms that God has laid out in this parable and, particularly, this last
verse. Is it more kind to leave the sinner unwarned of the great judgment to
come, or to warn him of the fruits of evil so that he has, at least, a hope of
escaping such a terrible judgment? You be the judge!
