Original Entry: April 8, 2008
McMinnville, OR
“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
My cousin Darby has owned a deep sea fishing business all of his adult life. He took it over from his mother who inherited the business from her father and founder Virg. Virg’s Fishn’ has been around Morro Bay for over 60 years. The connection comes through my dad who is married to one of Virg’s daughters-Gail.
In recent years the government slowly and systematically shut down the sport fishing industry on the California coast in order to protect the rock fish. Some believe that the lack of fish is a result of a natural 20-50 year cycle and has seen a recent increase as the quality and quantity of fish seems to be on the rise. Others believe that the fishing is down due to over fishing by the commercial Gill Netters. A “Gill Netter” is a boat that uses a huge “dragnet” with a space between the netting that is so small it literally catches and kills everything in its path.
Everything!
In this method all fish are killed without bias completely decimating everything in the net’s path.
Jesus said that “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea” (47). Like gill netting, every soul will fall prey to the God’s net of judgment! No soul will be left behind. All will one day fall into the hands of God. All of mankind will bow before their maker. All will confess “Jesus is Lord” (Philippians 2:8-10). All will die once and then face judgment (Hebrews 9:27).
But there will be a separation (48). Unlike what Universalists believe, there will be extreme prejudice when it comes to Heaven and who is welcome.
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left” Matthew 25: 31-33).
The “good fish” will go to the right and the “bad” to the left. All will bow, some to eternal glory, others to eternal damnation. This has life-changing consequences. If this is indeed the case, a man must determine that this is about forever!
Forever is at stake. The stakes cannot be any higher than a person’s soul. A soul is a person’s forever. Cast your net. Throw your lures. Bait your hook.
Let’s go fishing for men! Let’s catch, let’s change, someone’s forever.
