47“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Jesus now came to His seventh and last parable (13:47-50) in His discourse on the interim present kingdom. He used a fisherman’s drag-net to illustrate His point. This was especially relevant since His ministry at this time was near the Sea of Galilee where people saw the drag-net process in their everyday lives.
13:47
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind,
Jesus drew an analogy between the interim present kingdom and fishermen’s large nets drawn behind two boats that caught both good and bad fish (13:47-50). This way of fishing could not discriminate between good or bad fish.
13:48
which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad [foul or worthless] away.
When the fishermen pulled the net to the shore, the net contained both good and bad fish. They would then sort the good fish from the foul or worthless fish.
13:49
So it will be at the end of the age.
Jesus interpreted the fishermen’s net parable in verses 49 and 50. The drag-net (interim present kingdom) will draw in all sorts of fish (people) so that the fishermen will need to separate the good (believers) from the bad (unbelievers). This parable has to do with the end of the Tribulation and the time when Jesus will come at His Second Coming. This is not the end of the economy of the church but the end of God’s discipline upon Israel in the Tribulation (24:1-31).
The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just,
The fishermen are the angels. The good fish are believers, both Jews and Gentiles. The bad fish are unbelievers (unjust). Angels will separate unbelievers from believers (just) at the Second Coming for those who will enter the Millennial kingdom. Final judgment of unbelievers will take place at the end of the Millennium (Re 20:7-15).
13:50
and cast them into the furnace of fire.
Angels will consign unbelievers to a furnace of fire.
There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
There is agony in hell.
PRINCIPLE:
There will be a future time when God separates believers from unbelievers.
APPLICATION:
The judgment to which Jesus referred here is judgment of the interim present kingdom (which includes the church). The church today is filled with believers and unbelievers. There will come a time when God will separate the true believers from the false.
