Fish of Every Kind

“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. – Matthew 13:47-50

All men and women are gathered in the net of God’s sovereignty. Those that are justified, or declared righteous and forgiven, through trusting in the life, death, resurrection of Jesus Christ are the ones that are “good”. They are good not by virtue of their own, but by the virtue of Christ and His sinless life. The good fish in the parable represent “believers” in Christ. These are placed into “containers”, a simple parabolic metaphor for the security and preservation of God and His presence.

The net is not yet full. But the net is filling. “The close of the age” is simply the end of human history as we know it. This is also the second coming of Jesus as the event that ultimately “closes” the age. (Matthew 13:30; 40-43) All men and women will be brought before the judgment seat of God at that time.  Those in Christ will be blessed, while those that have never had an abiding relationship with Jesus will be “thrown into the fiery furnace”.

This is why the Bible lays great importance upon the idea that, “Today is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2) . Now is the time to turn from your sins and to come to Jesus in full assurance that He paid your sin debt at the cross. The grace and mercy of God alone through Christ is the good news that saves men and women from the fiery furnace and judgment for their own sins. Will you trust Christ and His gift of eternal life? “He who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”-Romans 10:9,10,13

Bless the Lord of glory who is worthy, the Savior who alone saves!

The Fear of The Lord Leads to Life

 

One thing our culture has lacked recently is the fear of God. A healthy and reverent perception of God coupled with a desire to trust Him and an action toward pleasing Him in the way one lives his or her life is tantamount to escaping the clutches of fear.
The Proverb says that the fear of the Lord leads to life. This does not mean that when one fears the Lord that there will be no affliction in his life or that there will be no evil in the world. It means that God will preserve, protect, and establish a person while he walks through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23) . Take this promise and find comfort in the Lord.
“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” – 2 Thessalonians 3:3 Again, it is not an end to evil, but the preservation of one’s soul through the circumstances that God provides relief.

God gives peace that the world cannot give. (John 16:33) But we must trust in Him that He atoned for our sin on the cross and that rose from the dead. (Romans 10:9-13)

How does one rest satisfied? By trusting in the Lord who controls all things. He is sovereign and there is no virus or riot, or injustice that can overcome the hand of God. He parted the Red Sea and He raised the dead on multiple occasions throughout human history.
Take this promise in Daniel, “all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” – Daniel 4:35

Take courage today and hold on to the promises of God. He will never leave nor forsake those who fear Him and trust Him. And God will avenge one day all who have done wrong. Fear not neither be dismayed.

Our prayer should be for God to grant faith and repentance to the people of America and the world. And that Jesus would return soon and glorify His people.

Praise God! Come Lord Jesus!

Isaiah 60:12 Lip Service or Life Service (A Short Commentary)

Isaiah 60:12

For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste. 

Zechariah continues this train of thought in 14:17-19 when he contrasts rain with the plague. Those in Christ and in relationship with Him, who serve Him, shall experience the life giving rain of God, while those that refuse to come to Christ for life and to serve Him, shall experience the plagues of God. The New Testament sheds more light upon this when it is spoken, “how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, – Hebrews 2:3

Revelation 19 is where the language of Isaiah is brought forth again by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle John, “to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. – Revelation 19:18-19 Revelation testifies of the final battle as it takes place during the return of Jesus Christ. The beast and false prophet are then thrown into the lake of fire. The rest were slain by the sword that comes from the mouth of Jesus (Revelation 19:15, 20,21) . When Isaiah says, those nations shall be utterly laid waste, John says of Jesus, “From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. – Revelation 19:15. It is at the second coming of Christ that the unbelieving nations shall be laid to waste gruesomly by the final sword of God’s righteousness. They did not serve Him and they will perish from not serving Him. 

This verse also lays weight to the idea of the exclusivity of salvation being found in no one else than in Jesus (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) . Allah, Krishna, Zeus, or any other mythical deities are never mentioned in the word of God. Neither is the idea of paying lip service to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob an option either. Serving is the key here in Isaiah 60:12. The nation or kingdom that will not serve you shall perish. Serving constitutes the idea of ownership and a lifetime of continual service and allegiance to God. Jesus said many on thay day will say “Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name” etc. But lip service without life service will have no one enter into the kingdom of God. True faith amounts to true lifestyle change. The Bible refers to this as “repentance”.  The life that is preserved from perishing is the life that turns from serving oneself (sin) to serving the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ. He who calls upon the name of the Lord shall not be put to shame.