HOST: Michael Whitworth
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
This kingdom parable is about the coming judgment. It paints a picture of the separation of the righteous from the wicked on that day and brings to mind a picture of God that many people struggle with. It is easy for us to read and think about the love and mercy of God, but the righteousness and justness of God, those characteristics that render God incapable of ignoring sin and that demand a just consequence of sin, are harder to bear. We often see these two sides of God as being polar opposites and opposed to one another. However, we must understand that the righteousness and mercy of God are inseparably linked together. The righteousness that demanded a price to be paid for sin is the same righteousness that would not allow us to die in sin without hope. And so, in His righteousness and mercy, God sent His Son to pay the price for sin on behalf of mankind, giving everyone the opportunity to avoid condemnation and to be numbered with the saved. When that great gathering day comes, and the angels are sent to divide the good from the wicked, God’s desire is that there be no wicked found. He has made that end possible through Christ but, ultimately, the choice is ours.
What is our responsibility in being prepared for that day?
Don’t forget to pray and have a great day!