The Consummation of the Kingdom

Let's do a little experiment. I've got a bag of mixed candies here. I'm going to pour them all out on this table. Now, imagine this table is the world, and these candies are people. Some are sweet, some are sour, some are hard, some are soft. But God, He wants them all. He's not picky. He loves every single one.

But here's the thing. At the end of the day, there's going to be a sorting. Just like when you pull in a net full of fish, you've got to sort out the good from the bad. Jesus said the same thing will happen with people. The good will be kept, and the bad will be thrown away

This evening we will be looking at “The Parable of the Dragnet.” What in the world is a dragnet? William Barclay says, “The dragnet is what we know as the seine net, a large net which has corks at the top and weights at the bottom so that it stands, as it were, upright in the sea. Ropes attached to its four corners draw it through the sea, and as it is drawn it forms a cone-shaped cavity into which are swept all kinds of creatures.”

Matthew 13:47–51 NIV

47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 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. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked. “Yes,” they replied.

Take a closer look

The Net - represents the Gospel

The casting of the net - Preaching of the Gospel

The sea - Represents the world

The fishermen - Those who preach and teach the gospel

It is noteworthy that the fishermen are not the focal point in this story. In verse 47 they are not even mentioned.

The goal of the fishermen in casting the net into the sea was simply to gather fish

The message of the parable

This message is about the Kingdom of Heaven not the Church

The parable is about separating believers from unbelievers in the world.

The parable is not about separating true believers from professing Christians in the church.

Note: This is not the job of the church, it was the angels that will separate the believers and unbelievers in the world.

It refers to a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth

Referenced in Matthew 13:42

Matthew 13:42 NIV

42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 13:50 NIV

50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 24:51 NIV

51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Make Disciples of All Nations

This aligns with the Old Testament Prophets Prophecies about the “Day of the Lord”

Isaiah 35:1–10 NIV

1 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. 3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. 7 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. 8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, 10 and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Joel 3:1–3 NIV

1 “In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. 3 They cast lots for my people and traded boys for prostitutes; they sold girls for wine to drink.

Amos 9:7–15 NIV

7 “Are not you Israelites the same to me as the Cushites?” declares the Lord. “Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir? 8 “Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord are on the sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the face of the earth. Yet I will not totally destroy the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord. 9 “For I will give the command, and I will shake the people of Israel among all the nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, and not a pebble will reach the ground. 10 All the sinners among my people will die by the sword, all those who say, ‘Disaster will not overtake or meet us.’ 11 “In that day “I will restore David’s fallen shelter— I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins— and will rebuild it as it used to be, 12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name,” declares the Lord, who will do these things. 13 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, 14 and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. 15 I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.

This was to put to rest the Jewish mentality that had become common place throughout Jerusalem that the last days was a separation between Jews and Gentiles. Jesus teaching that this was “all kinds” of fish Matthew 13:47 “47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.”

His command was to “go and make disciples of all nations” Matthew 28:19 and to be “fishers of men (people)” Mark 1:17 “17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.””

The message

We are to preach the Gospel in all the world

Its not our job to sort the believers and unbelievers

In thinking about the fact that “all kinds” of fish were caught in the net, answer the following questions. 1. The focus of the parable is not on separating the good from the bad during the growth of the kingdom, but on final judgment at the consummation of the kingdom. a. Who does the separating?

b. Read

Romans 1:16–20 “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” .

What is the basis for distinguishing the righteous from the wicked? c. What are the parallels between this parable and the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31–46 “

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 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. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see…” )? d. How do the parables of the dragnet and the sheep and goats refute universalism—the belief that everyone will eventually be saved? 2. Read

Acts 1:8

“8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”” .

How has this parable changed your thinking about our responsibility to witness to the world? 3. Read

Acts 11:19–21

“19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.” . When the church was scattered by persecution, some of the believers courageously crossed racial barriers and preached the gospel to Greeks (Gentiles). What are the racial, economic, and gender barriers your church must overcome to proclaim the gospel to the world? How does this parable affect how you view people in your community who are marginalized? 4. Bad fish can’t become good fish, but bad people can become good. How? See 1 Corinthians 1:26–31

Acts 11:19–21 NIV

19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

“26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”” ;

1 Thessalonians 1:9–10

“9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” . How has your faith in Christ changed your life? 5. How has this parable changed your view of the growth and consummation of the kingdom?