Representing the LAODICEA Period (Matthew 13:47-50)

This is the final parable of the series. It represents the HARVEST CHURCH and is, appropriately, about Harvesting. Jesus introduced the Harvest and its concepts in the second parable, The Wheat and Tares. Here we have some additional pertinent and special information.

The symbol of FISH has been important in Christianity since the very inception of the age. Jesus told Peter that he would make the disciples “fishers of men.” Early Christians (and some Christian groups even today) adopted the sign of the fish to represent their Christianity. Jesus contributed to this when he used “the sign of Jonah” to represent his own death and resurrection.

Because of this symbol, it seems reasonable to assume that this seventh parable is about true Christians — about spirit-begotten saints. The Sower and The Wheat and Tares parables told us about Greater Christianity — the real saints along with the counterfeit. But here, Jesus seems to take a different perspective, to focus only on fish — only on his disciples.

An additional reason to suspect that this parable focuses on the true, rather than on the mixed company of wheat and tares, is that the final three parables are set aside from the others and are addressed “in house” — only to the disciples. The Laodicean Church description in Revelation 3 has no reference to the “they” class — only to “you” (the spirit- begotten). It is the only Church description to have this peculiarity.

It must be recognized, however, that an interpretation of this parable which includes apostates is not unreasonable. The bad fish, after all, are described in virtually the same terms as the tares as far as their fates are concerned: they both end up “in the furnace of fire” with “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” As with the Pearl parable, it is not out of the question that the parable may have two valid interpretations. But we will focus on the interpretation suggesting that “fish” represent true disciples.

13:47. The “dragnet” represents that which catches fish — the Gospel message (much like the good seed of the first parable). It is “cast into the sea.” It is worthy of note that in Revelation, both Church and Great Multitude have their origins in the great sea class of humanity, which Revelation symbolizes by the phrase “peoples and tribes and tongues and nations.” Those called are never linked with the establishment class, “those who dwell on the earth.” (See for examples, Revelation 11:9 and 10.)

The net, during the age, gathered fish “of every kind.” This likely represents the varying degrees of talent-application among the “fish.” In The Talent parable (Matthew 25:14- 30), we have those who possess varying abilities. Interestingly, in that parable, the man who buries his talent ends up with “weeping and gnashing of teeth,” just like the bad fish of this parable. The Talent parable seems clearly only to represent spirit-begotten ones.

13:48. This verse brings us to the Harvest time. The words, “When it was filled,” might very well apply to the date of the “end of the general call.” The “general call” thus ends when those yet faithful in the flesh and those faithful from the past constitute 144,000. Clearly, then, the general fishing process would end. Thus, all rejections past that date would require replacements throughout the Harvest. If, indeed, the net’s being full does represent the end of the general call, it is clear that the fish would have to be spirit- begotten Christians because tares are never counted as part of the full number (net).

The drawing of the net “up on the beach” nicely pictures an end of the general call. One would not leave a net in the sea to catch more fish when the capacity of the net had been reached. The thinning-out of “fish” in the Harvest is done “on the beach” — it is no longer a part of the age of general catching of fish. It is Harvest time.

“And they (the fishermen) sat down.” This is an intriguing sentence. It surely doesn’t mean an end of activity; but it does show a change of activity. The Harvest Church is less missionary. It is not traversing the world to make converts. Obviously, it is yet evangelical in the sense that it looks for replacements for the rejected fish. But the primary activity has changed. “Present truth” has more of a SEPARATING than an ATTRACTING function. Hence, they “sat down and” SEPARATED: “the good into containers, but the bad they threw away.”

The “good” in this case would be the true and ripe saints. The “containers” would likely be the condition of their forehead sealing (Revelation 7). Our sharing of Harvest truths will ripen characters to make them secure for their calling.

The casting away of the bad must not be understood to be anything we do knowledgeably. Our fellowship of saints in the glories of present truth will, unfortunately, place the Great Multitude into a place of their own. The Lord will perceive the separation — we won’t. And the Great Multitude is not “bad” in the sense of separation from God, but their unripe status, and their unwillingness to change it, make them “wicked” in the sense of not living up to their contracts. They are malevolent — a word meaning BAD POWER — as far as the high calling is concerned. In terms of the high calling, they are “thrown away.” They are the “foolish virgins” of Matthew 25.

13:49. Jesus now interprets. “At the consummation (margin) of the age” — at the Harvest time (13:39) — “the angels (the Harvest-period saints who have the message) shall come forth” — shall be manifest as evangelical voices separate from the rest of the religious world. They will “take out (margin = separate) the wicked from among the righteous.” Their message will separate the unripe from the ripe Christians. Again, it is not that the Great Multitude are not “righteous,” but that their righteousness (their justification by faith) is INSUFFICIENT for the calling. If any quality can be said to be the quality which makes the Great Multitude fail, it is their insufficiency of faith. It is not their insufficiency of the faith that robed them; it is their insufficiency of the faith that sustains their walk in the Narrow Way.

It must be noted that the alternative interpretation (that bad fish = tares) is easier in this verse. Tares are not justified to life. They are justified to a Plane N existence of faith in righteousness; but they are not “the righteous” in the sense of those who have received life because of their faith. Both interpretations need a slight “stretching” of definitions!

13:50. The standard of “the angels” is what casts the “wicked” into the “furnace of fire.” In the first interpretation, the furnace is the tribulation which burns away the cords which bind the Great Multitude to earthly interests. (Compare Daniel 3:21-25.) In the second interpretation, the furnace is the great time of trouble which burns away the institutions which make and sustain tares.

The “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is a general expression for disappointment of great degree. Regardless of interpretation, prophecy confirms that this kind of disappointment will be the lot of both tares and Great Multitude.

The Connection to Laodicea

This connection is strong. The Laodicean message is found in Revelation 3:14-22. The very first statement stresses the Harvesting tool, the TRUTH. Jesus is “the faithful and true witness.” He is the “Amen” — the “THUS IT IS!” The power of forceful and absolute truths is wrapped up in this one word! The “angels” of the parable use the Truth as their separating tool.

The greatest part of the Laodicean message in Revelation 3 is aimed at the Great Multitude syndrome. There are no “theys” in this Church. (Compare 1:9 as a contrast.) The message is all directed to “YOU” — the Church and the Great Multitude of the Harvest period.

The “wicked” of the parable are those who display the “wicked” traits here enumerated. The “bad fish” are those who are “lukewarm.” They claim the “rich” status of having the truth without knowing that that (the possessing of it) is not the wealth.

The seventh seal (Revelation 8:1) probably is the “half hour” during which the “bad fish” realize the Church is gone. The Great Multitude gets to gnash its teeth until it finally regroups and washes its robes in the final half hour.

Before finishing Chapter 13, a very brief review of the seven parables for their major lessons for us personally is helpful: