“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.  When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore.  Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.  This is the how it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Matthew 13:47-50 NIV

Jesus spoke in parables but this one is pretty clear.  All of us can get caught up in the net that is the kingdom of heaven.  We can be caught and brought up and kept if we are righteous.

If we accept Christ as our savior then the angels will see to it that we reach our heavenly destination at the end of the age.  However, if we are wicked, if we fail to accept Christ as our savior and fail to obey His commands then we will be thrown into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I have encountered only a few people that refuse to have anything to do with God.  By this I mean that they refuse to go to church. They don’t really want to talk about Christ or the Bible or anything to do with Him and his plan of salvation.  Are they atheist?  One would think that they are.

My heart breaks for these people.  I know what their life is like.  It is a life filled with turmoil.  A life filled with heartache and to what end?  To be thrown into a blazing fire.  The Bible has referred to hell in the book of Revelation as the lake of fire.  In this scripture passage it is referred to a blazing furnace.  Obviously the message here is that it is a burning, hot, fiery place.

As Christians we are called to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you.  When you think about where the wicked are headed, how can you not feel sorry for them?  I mean I know they often come against us, but God will not honor that and eventually they will suffer a worse fate than anything we could have imagined.

Today, I encourage you to encourage others.  This net is big and perfectly capable of catching up every person on this planet and bringing them to heaven.  As Christians, we should want no one to be thrown into the blazing furnace.  We should make an effort to lead others to Christ.  We should at least try to point them toward salvation.

Now if you are reading this and perhaps not buying into this whole Christian thing, then think about this.  Psalm 34:8 says “taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed are those that take refuge in Him.”  Give God a try.  Perhaps there is someone in your life that has been trying to lead you to the Lord.  Take a minute to hear what they have to say.  Just consider this, if you are wrong, you could wind up spending eternity in a fiery pit, a blazing furnace, a lake of fire.  If you believe that you die and that’s it, then you have lost nothing, right?

If you are saved and you are dealing with someone who is lost, don’t give up.  My family prayed for my Dad for 40 years and he finally accepted Christ as his savior at the age of 80.  It can happen.

My prayer for you today is that you are already caught up in that net and are baiting as many others as you can to join you.  So let”s do all we can to lead others to Christ.

If you are reading this and want to learn more about how you can avoid an eternity in hell, feel free to contact me through this website or reach out to a trusted friend who has trusted God.

Have a great day!