The Parables of Christ no. 14

The NET

December 28, 2003

Rev. Brian Kocourek

 

MATTHEW 13:47 gain, 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.

 

Now, tonight by the Grace of God I would like to take this parable and show how it ties with what God is doing in this last hour, for we have a vindicated Prophet of God who said, “all the New testament speaks of this hour.”

 

Therefore, let’s begin with the first thought that is laid out here in this parable. Now, Remember, this is Jesus speaking and we find Him saying, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net,”

 

Now, remember that the Kingdom of Heaven speaks of the time when the Son of Man has come to gather  together His Elect by His Word. It is speaking of the end-time gathering of the Elect to the Kingdom. And notice that it is likened in this parable to a NET.

 

Now, we know the parable speaks of this NET being cast into the sea, so we need to know that this net has to be big enough to be cast into the sea. He was not talking about a lake or a stream of river, but the Sea. Therefore we must know what kind of NET this is and what the SEA represents, because after all, this parable speaks of the end-time gathering of the Elect.

 

Now, this NET has got to be a really big NET because it is cast into the Sea. And a NET is a device that is used to catch fish, but Jesus told the early disciples like Peter that were fishermen, that he would make them fishers of men.  So we are looking at a device that is used to catch men, and not fish. A NET to catch Men.

 

Now. in those days they used nets made from ropes that were woven together like a spiders web. But today, instead of a NET fashioned after a spider-web, we have a different sort of NET that is fashioned after a WEB and it is called the inter-NET,  on the World Wide Web.

 

Another thing we must look at in understanding the parallel of this parable to this hour, is that this NET Jesus is talking about was cast into the sea, (Now, we are told by the Holy Spirit that the sea is multitudes nations and peoples. Therefore, it is a world wide web, or NET we are looking at here. A NET that is large enough to go to people, multitudes, nations and tongues. 

 

 

 

ISAIAH 17:12    Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! 13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.

 

Notice that the nations are likened to rushing waters or like the noise of the sea.

 

Again in ISAIAH 23:2 we read,  Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.  3    And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.

 

Notice God calls them a mart of nations and likens them to the sea. Now, it is interesting that they are likened to a mart, because that is exactly what the world wide Net is all about, it is used to market product and ideas.

 

We also se this type in the book of REVELATION 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.)

 

Now, I hope you do not think me to be too presumptuous to say this, but the only NET that goes into peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues is the interNET.

 

God used the Gospel net for ages and in this last hour He is using the InterNET to gather His Seed to the True Doctrine Brought by His Vindicated Prophet William Branham.

 

Now, in getting back to our parable we hear Jesus say, Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind.

 

Now, the word kind, used here is the Greek word genos which speaks of race or nationality. So we see that this NET is cast out into the peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues and is used to gather in all races and nations of people. And then as we read on we find out what happens after the NET pulls in the people.)

 

Jesus continues with the parable saying, 48 Which, when it was full… and this means when the NET had done the job it was meant to do, and had gathered out of every nation, then it would be full, or complete.

 

Now, this Greek word for full is used most often as the word fulfilled, or fulfillment, but is also used of a job that is complete or even as the preaching that is now complete or finished.  In other words the child training is completed.

 

In Matthew 1:22 it is translated as fullfilled.. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

 

We see the same again in Matthew Chapter  21:4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,

 

And again in Matthew Chapter  26:54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

 

But in Luke Chapter  7:1 This same word is translated as having finished his preaching, … Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.

 

And in the book of Acts Chapter  12:25 The word is translated in such a way as to show the ministry was finished…And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

 

And the Apostle Paul used it in referring to his teaching the full or complete Gospel to the people. Romans Chapter  15:19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

 

And the apostle Paul also use this word in showing completion. Colossians Chapter  2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

 

Now, in getting back to our parable we next hear Jesus say, Which, when it was full…they drew to shore.

 

Now, notice they have by this time gathered by the NET what they set out to gather. This tells us that it the NET will not be just one man because THEY is plural. Now, it does not tell us how many, but there will be more thasn one with this NET ministry.  Now, NET will be used to gather both the Good and those that offend, so there has to be more than one involved here. And having completed that task they now leave the waters, or the nations, multitudes and people, and come to land. Now, to come out of the waters, or the sea,  they have to come to an elevated place which is what land is. It is elevated above the nation, multitudes and peoples. And we are told they draw the NET full of the catch, and bring it up to a higher elevated state.

 

The Word drawn to shore means they have been drawn up, or gathered up, and brother Branham said in the message Feast of the trumpets 64-0719M P:108 Now, as soon as this Church, the Bride is drawed together, she's taken up; in that mystery of the Seventh Seal, or the Seventh Seal, the mystery going.).

 

Therefore, this NET must bring them into the mystery of the Seventh Seal which is the presence of Christ.

 

Then Jesus let’s us know that once this NET ministry is completed and the peoples, multitudes and nations have been caught up into the NET, then it is drawn, which means it is closed up, and they that have been caught up by this NET are sealed in.  And then they are taken to the elevated place.

Then the ones drawing, he says,   “sat down” (and the word means to make to sit down; to set, or to appoint, or to confer a kingdom on one. Now this last definition is very interesting especially in light of what William Branham said concerning the end-time ministry of the Holy Spirit in our midst.

 

First seal the 63-0318 P:135  When this Holy Spirit that we have, becomes incarnate to us, the One that's in our midst now in the form of the Holy Ghost, becomes incarnate to us in the Person of Jesus Christ, we'll crown Him King of kings

 

Now, notice the purpose of the NET is to gather the good, “and gathered the good” and the word good means “beautiful by reason of purity of heart and life”, which means they are virgins. And “hence they are praiseworthy; morally good, and noble.”

 

Then that which has been gathered is placed into “into vessels”, Now, the only other time this Greek word for vessel is used, is in speaking of the five wise virgins who had oil in their vessels.

 

MATTHEW 25:1   Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, The lamp signifies the Word of God, for we read in Psalm PSALMS 119:105 ¶ Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. But the vessel signifies the person itself. And notice that these ten virgins had the Word,  and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five [were] foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: Notice they took no oil with THEM. Then is a personal pronoun. It speaks of the person, not the lamp.. 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Notice in their vessels WITH their lamps. So the oil which signifies the Holy Spirit was in their vessel, or their person.

 

Now, in getting back to the parable in Matthew 13, Jesus continues saying, “and gathered the good into vessels”,

 

Now, the Apostle Paul said, II CORINTHIANS 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face (or Presence) of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

 

So we see that this NET ministry is to gather from all nations those that are good so that the Light of the Glorious Presence of Jesus Christ might be placed into earthen vessels. But those others that were gathered by the NET that are not the GOOD which meant beautiful by reason of purity of heart and life”, all that are not of this character, are then cast away.

 

Notice Jesus says, and gathered the good into vessels”,  but cast the bad away. And that means to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls.

 

We find that God does not watch over the way of the sinner. In the first Psalm we read,

 

PSALMS 1:1   Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight [is] in the Word of the LORD; and in his word doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4    The ungodly [are] not so: but [are] like the chaff which the wind driveth away.(Now, right there you see the difference. One is collected while the other is driven away like the chaff.) 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Now, this last verse here is the key… 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: (The word Knoweth is the Hebrew word Yada which means to watch over with an active participation, to be made known to or to reveal oneself by way of instruction)  but the way of the ungodly shall perish (and the word perish is the Hebrew word abad which means to be left to oneself, to lose, thus to perish).

 

So we see that the Lord gathers by means of instruction the Good and places the Glorious light in their earthen vessels, but the others are cast out meaning they are just left to themselves and thus they fall away on their own, and self destruct.

 

 49 So shall it be at the end of the world (Therefore this is speaking of the end-time and thus we should see that it is speaking of this hour.)He continues by saying,  the angels (which that is a small “a” and means messengers, or men with “The Message”) shall come forth, (if they are to come forth, they must do some traveling and in the process they will ) sever (which means to separate, divide, or to mark off from others by boundaries, to separate,) the wicked (poneros, diseased, wicked, evil) from among the just (those that have been justified.

 

And remember, you are justified by faith, and brother Branham taught us that “faith is a revelation”. Therefore these are those who have received the revelation of Christ, which is the Doctrine of Christ…these are the innocent ones, the faultless ones, those who have been found guiltless, and the word just is also used of him whose way of thinking, feeling, and acting is wholly conformed to the will of God, and who therefore needs no rectification in the heart or life; only Christ truly . Those that are approved of, or acceptable of God).

 

But what of the others?  50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire. This signifies those that are not kept in the NET are those that are rejected because they have rejected the Revealed Word and they are cast into the tribulation period.) there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

 

Ten virgins 60-1211M P:99 "They were cast into outer darkness, and there'd be weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth." All right, that's the great tribulation, isn't it? The great tribulation...

 

Patmos vision 60-1204E P:4 So then the foolish virgin was the one who did not have oil in their lamps, that I believe that was cast out into outer darkness where there'd be weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. If you'll compare that on your footnotes, it'll run it right back again to the great tribulation. And I think they're the ones that stay back and goes through the great tribulation.

 

QA on the seals 63-0324M P:156 Now, take St. John 10, I believe it is, He said, "I am the door. (See?) I am the door that enter--that you enter in by." Now there he stands at the door, and here's the man that put the robe on him, the Holy Spirit, to give him the robe of righteousness when he comes in. Now, this man had come by some organization, back at the window over here (some slip-in hole), and he got in at the table and set down. And then when the Bridegroom comes up and looks around, he...?... These had been odd ducks before, now he's the odd duck. See? "What are you doing here like that without the baptism of the Holy Ghost and all these things? How did you ever get in here?” Well, he come in somewhere besides the door, and he come without the proper invitation. See? He comes by some educational system (See?), or something like that. He got in, and He said to them, "Bind him, hand and feet, cast him out of here into outer darkness where there'll be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth." See? He went into the tribulation period. See? He did not come in by the door. So, all right.

 

I hope that we can see by the fact that Br. Branham said, “All the New Testament speaks of this Hour” that this parable is very much alive today, and has become a reality, and we have been made partakers of what God is doing in this hour. To me, the meaning of this paarable is as plain as it can get. Jesus is definitely speaking of the End time, and of a NET that is cast into all the world, so the Net would have to be big enough to reach the four corners of the earth, and I know no other Net that could fit that except it be the InterNET.

 

Now, brother Branham taught us that God reveals His Word by bringing it to pass, and if I did not see this coming to pass before my very eyes, I would not be able to stand here and speak these Words. But the NET has taken the end-time ministry and doctrine of Christ into all the World. We have gone into more than 120 countries that I know of, and many more that I do not know of.

 

Many Muslim countries (nine that I know of myself) where you can not own a Bible are contacting me with questions about the Message Doctrine. No other NET could have done what this inter-NET has done, and that is to cast its reach into all the world. Therefore, I feel that based on the parable, and based on the Words of William Branham, and based on the manifestation of what we have seen, we can truly see the fulfillment of this parable before our very eyes.

 

Let’s just bow our heads and our hearts in a Word of thanks giving and Prayer.