Matthew 13:4747Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: (Matthew 13:47) says, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind.” In this last parable the kingdom is again presented as comprehending the whole of Christendom, as it is in its effects and purpose in the eye of God. The means used for this is likened unto a net cast into the sea. The net is evidently the preaching of the cross of Christ, while the sea speaks of the inhabitants of the earth in a state of tumult and lawlessness. It is into such a world that the gospel net has been cast, and fishes of every kind are enclosed. Within the bounds of Christendom there are real and false disciples of Christ.
What a different view is taken of the kingdom, according as we look at it from the earth or from the heavenly places! From the former we get only its external features — a great wheat field, but spoiled by tares; a great tree, with its vast branches shooting out on every side; and a mass of meal with leaven working till the whole was leavened. It is a system adapting itself to the characteristics of the different nations among whom it is established, for it is the intent of Satan to bring such men under the control of a priestly, quasi-spiritual bondage, in utter contravention of God’s purpose in establishing His church in the world. God calls to separation from the world, and it is only when in ‘‘the house,” and our minds under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that we see the extreme contrariety between the true position of the saint and that which is assumed by the professing world. In the parable of the tares, the reason is given why, or how, tares came to be mingled with the wheat. Here we have no reason given why the net encloses bad fishes as well as good ones; it is simply the fact. The net is God’s means for gathering out His own.
The Mixed Character of the Kingdom
This parable of the net and that of the tare-field bear this resemblance, that they both present to us the mixed character of the kingdom. They differ in that the latter views the kingdom during the continuance of the present age; the former discloses that which, for the most part, takes place at the end. Thus, in the parable of the net, the great thought is in the act of the fishermen selecting the good and putting them into vessels, and in rejecting the bad. The fishermen are not the active agents in punishing the bad: They simply leave them, casting them away. The angels here, as in the parable of the tares, are the executors of God’s vengeance. It is a picture of the whole as it appears to God, as He would have His saints view it, and the means He has adopted in calling out His people from the world. It is the winding up of the present age.
The good are first taken care of and put into vessels by those fit for that work; after that selection (how long is not said), the angels do their work. The putting of the good into vessels is not confined to one act, but rather gives the character of the time which will elapse from the first separation to the establishment of the millennial kingdom. And we know that the rapture of the church will take place before judgment descends upon the wicked, for the church of God is ever directed to expect the coming of the Lord Jesus at any moment. His disciples are always to be waiting, always expecting. But there are many prophecies which must be fulfilled before His (and our!) appearing can take place; there are signs given which shall usher in the great and terrible day of the Lord.
The Floor Purged
The gathering of the good fish into vessels by the fishermen is evidently an act distinct from the separation of the wicked from among the just. The fishermen gather the good into vessels, to take care of and preserve them — an act of interest and value. The angels sever the wicked from among the just. It is the contrast of those who sought out the good; these seek out the bad for punishment and “cast them into the furnace of fire” — an act of vengeance and wrath. The term “the just,” then, comprehends more saints than those standing in full Pentecostal privilege; some of them are slain, having a share in the first resurrection; some are not slain, but preserved to form the living nucleus of the millennial kingdom. At the very end of the tribulation, the beast and the false prophet are cast alive into the pit. Then the angels come forth and go through the length and breadth of the kingdom to gather out all things that offend. Then will the floor of the kingdom be purged; earthly friendships, gender and association will be unheeded by these messengers. Two men shall be in the field, and two women at the mill: The one shall be taken and the other left. Whether abroad or at home, the angels shall sever the wicked from the just.
Two Aspects of the Kingdom
To sum up, we have in these parables an epitome of the history of the religious world, from the Lord’s first advent to His second, given under two general aspects. There is the gift of salvation by grace to man, and then what man has made of it. There is also what God has done, in spite of the perversity of man, and the termination of the whole, bad and good. We stand at the starting point, and look through the scene right up to the end, having a bird’s-eye view of the whole. Man and the enemy having to do with it, the character of the kingdom soon degenerates; the tares spread and give character to the field. The crop is spoiled, though the Son of Man had sown! But though the tares have ruined the work of God, the wheat is there also. These two coexist until the end, when the great separation takes place. In the parables of the tree and the leaven, the evil is developed; in the hid treasure and the pearl, the accomplishment of God’s purpose appears, notwithstanding the baneful influence of Satan. But God does not forego His design. The treasure is found and secured. All is given up for the pearl, which shows forth His grace and love, and He is glorified.
The last parable, the net, brings out conspicuously the time of the end. The two parties in the kingdom are seen together again, but only to be forever separated, when the end of the age comes, and judgment falls upon the wicked. The history of Christendom is over; the millennial kingdom begins. “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13:4343Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:43)).
R. Beacon (adapted)