Chapter 10—The Net
This chapter is based on
Matthew 13:47-50
.
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the
sea, and gathered of every kind; which, when it was full, they drew to
shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the
bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come
forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them
into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
The casting of the net is the preaching of the gospel. This gathers
both good and evil into the church. When the mission of the gospel
is completed, the judgment will accomplish the work of separation.
Christ saw how the existence of false brethren in the church would
cause the way of truth to be evil spoken of. The world would revile
the gospel because of the inconsistent lives of false professors. Even
Christians would be caused to stumble as they saw that many who
bore Christ’s name were not controlled by His Spirit. Because these
sinners were in the church, men would be in danger of thinking that
God excused their sins. Therefore Christ lifts the veil from the future
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and bids all to behold that it is character, not position, which decides
man’s destiny.
Both the parable of the tares and that of the net plainly teach that
there is no time when all the wicked will turn to God. The wheat and
the tares grow together until the harvest. The good and the bad fish
are together drawn ashore for a final separation.
Again, these parables teach that there is to be no probation after
the judgment. When the work of the gospel is completed, there imme-
diately follows the separation between the good and the evil, and the
destiny of each class is forever fixed.
God does not desire the destruction of any. “As I live, saith the
Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the
wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil
ways; for why will ye die?”
Ezekiel 33:11
. Throughout the period
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