Verse 47 says, “Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a net cast into the sea and gathering of every kind.” This parable corresponds to 25:32-46. The net here does not signify the gospel of grace, which is preached in the church age, but the eternal gospel, which will be preached to the Gentile world in the great tribulation (Rev. 14:6-7). The sea into which this net is cast signifies the Gentile world, and “every kind” signifies all the nations, all the Gentiles (25:32).
Throughout the centuries, the parable of the net has been misunderstood and applied incorrectly. Many have said that the net signifies the gospel of grace. They have also likened this parable to the parable of the tares, saying that in the parable of the tares we have the real ones and the false ones, and that in the parable of the net we have the good ones and the bad ones. They claim that the good ones are the wheat and the bad ones are the tares. If this is true, then the Lord Jesus would have not been so wise, for He would have used two parables for the same thing.
Once again we need to consider the way the number seven is constituted. Firstly, it is composed of six plus one. The first six parables in Matthew 13 are related to the church. In the church there are the abnormal ones, and around the church there are the false ones. Thus, directly or indirectly, the first six parables are related to the church. But what happens to the people outside of the church, those in the world? Surely there is the need of a parable to cover them. If the seven parables in Matthew 13 covered only the church, then there would be no parable to cover the nations. In such a case, chapter thirteen would not be perfect. The seventh parable, the parable of the net, is related not to the church, but to the world, to the nations.
Those related to the church are classified into three groups: the real and normal Christians, the overcomers; the real, yet abnormal Christians, the defeated ones; and the false Christians. At the time of the Lord’s coming back, the false Christians, the tares, will be bound into bundles and cast into the furnace of fire, that is, into the lake of fire. That will be the destiny of the tares. The normal, real Christians, the overcomers, will be transferred into the manifestation of the kingdom to be co-kings with Christ. The abnormal ones will be put in a certain place to be chastened, disciplined, and punished. These six parables give us a clear view regarding the real Christians and the false Christians. The seventh parable, the parable of the net, covers the destiny of the worldly people.
The net here is not the gospel of grace. Instead, it is the eternal gospel declared in Revelation 14:6 and 7. (See Life-study of Revelation, Message Forty-seven, pp. 541-547.) Most Christian teachers have neglected this gospel. During the tribulation, Antichrist, who will oppose all religion, will persecute both Christians and Jews. Christ will consider these persecuted Christians His brothers. Because Antichrist will persecute the Jews and the Christians, an angel will be sent forth to proclaim the eternal gospel. The eternal gospel is absolutely different in content from the gospel of grace. The gospel of grace is preached for repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus. The eternal gospel, however, will say that men should fear God and worship Him. It will not touch the matter of repentance nor will it require faith. Rather, because Antichrist will set himself up as God, erecting an image of himself and compelling people to worship it, the eternal gospel will tell people to worship God, the One who created the heavens, the earth, and the sea, not to worship the idol of Antichrist. Furthermore, the eternal gospel will command the people to fear God because Antichrist will be leading them to persecute and to kill God’s people. Those who kill God’s people must hear that God will come in to avenge them. Hence, they all must fear God.
The Bible says that Christ as a man has been appointed by God to judge the living and the dead (Acts 17:31; 2 Tim. 4:1). Christ will judge the living at the time of His coming back. This will take place before the millennium. In addition to the Jews and the Christians, there have been throughout the centuries a great many unbelievers, most of whom will have died before the Lord comes back. But a number will still be living at the time He comes again. These living ones will be the nations. When Christ comes back, He will exercise His judgment upon them. He will judge them not according to the law of Moses nor according to the gospel of grace, but according to the eternal gospel declared in the three and a half years immediately prior to Christ’s coming back. In the Bible both the law of Moses and the gospel of grace are a basis for God’s judgment. The eternal gospel declared in Revelation 14 will be the basis for Christ’s judgment upon the living nations.
Matthew 25 says that when Christ comes back He will gather the nations together. This portion of the Word does not speak of either the Jews or the believers, but of the nations. Some have argued saying that the nations could not be the Lord’s sheep. But Psalm 100 reveals that all the people on earth are the sheep of the Lord. Hence, in the Lord’s eyes all the peoples on this earth are His sheep. When He comes back, He will gather them all before the throne of His glory, and there He will exercise His judgment upon them, based upon the eternal gospel. According to Matthew 25, the King will judge the nations according to the way they have treated His little brothers. During the tribulation, the Jews and the Christians will suffer a great deal. They will lack food and clothing, they will be sick, and they will be imprisoned. The ones who hear the eternal gospel and who fear God and worship Him will secretly help the believers, rendering them some financial or material assistance. Those who treat the believers favorably will be regarded by the King as sheep. But those who do not treat them well will be regarded as goats. The goats will be cast into eternal fire, but the sheep will be transferred to the millennium to be the citizens on the earth.
The first six parables cover various aspects related to the church. The worldly people are covered in the parable of the net. The church is a pearl out of the sea. After the church has been called out of the sea, what remains in the sea is the nations who will be living in the Gentile world. At the Lord’s coming back, He will send out His angels to collect all the things in the sea. After they have been collected before the throne of His glory, they will be divided according to the way they have treated the believers during the tribulation. Those who have treated them well will be considered the sheep, the good ones, and those who have treated them poorly will be considered the goats, the evil ones. The good ones will be transferred to the millennial kingdom, which has been prepared for them from the foundation of the world (not before the foundation of the world). There these good ones will be the citizens of the coming kingdom. But the evil ones will be cast into the lake of eternal fire. This will close the age.
Matthew 13 presents us a clear vision. In this chapter we see that all seven parables close this age. The Lord will end this age by dealing with the church according to the first six parables and by dealing with the world, the nations, according to the last parable. In these parables we see all the aspects of the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens. With this clear picture before us, we know where we are and where we are going. We also know where the unbelievers are, where they are going, and what their destiny will be.