47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:47-50 KJV)
The Parable of the Net
The world is like a vast sea, and people are like creatures in it, both small and great (Ps 104:25). In their natural state, they are like fish that have no ruler over them (Hab 1:14). The preaching of the gospel is like casting a net into this sea to gather something from it for the glory of the One who rules over it. Ministers are fishers of men, casting and drawing this net, and they succeed when they do so at Christ’s command.
This net gathers fish of every kind, just as the visible church contains both the good and the bad. A time is coming when this net will be full and drawn to shore—when the gospel will have accomplished its purpose, never returning void (Isa 55:10-11). The net is filling even now, sometimes faster, sometimes slower, but it will be drawn to shore when the mystery of God is completed.
When that happens, there will be a separation between the good and the bad. Hypocrites and true Christians will be parted. The good will be gathered into vessels, carefully kept, while the bad will be cast away as worthless and unprofitable. While the net is still in the sea, what is inside it is not fully known, even to the fishermen. But it is drawn ashore for the sake of the good within it, just as God cares for the visible church and ministers must care for their congregations, though they are mixed.
Jesus explains that this final separation will happen at the end of the world (Mt 13:49-50). Until then, the net will contain both good and bad. But in the end, angels will come forth to do what human ministers could never do: they will separate the wicked from the righteous. They will make no mistakes, for they have their instructions from the One who knows all.
The wicked, once separated, will be cast into the furnace. Everlasting misery will surely be the fate of those who lived among the sanctified but died unsanctified. Christ himself preached often about hell’s torments as the eternal punishment of hypocrites. It is good to be reminded of this sobering truth.