The Kingdom of God... are we the net?

[Farlsborough]

Listening to various bits of teaching on the kingdom (my go-to guys are often Stephen E. Jones and L. Ray Smith) and I wondered: in the parable that describes the kingdom of God as a fishing net cast out and hauled in, with good and bad fish separated - has anyone suggested that we are in fact the net?

Stephen's teaching really resonates with me about the discovered treasure being buried in the field, and the field being bought for the sake of the treasure. This is often taught in some mystical way about "seeking first the kingdom of God" but Stephen's view is that this is God's Israel (first physical Israel, now spiritual Israel) being buried in the field (the world), so that by redeeming his peculiar people, the world is redeemed in the process. Similar to the small lump of leaven working its way through the whole loaf - when it is baked, you can't buy back the yeast without buying the loaf!

Turning to the parable of the fishing net, it is often taught that God hauls us all in at the end of the age, with the good fish being "in the kingdom" and the bad fish being chucked out. This understanding goes best with ET teaching I suppose. But in fact, what are we told? That the kingdom of God "is like a fishing net". Not, "the kingdom of God is like the process of sorting good fish and bad fish", or "the kingdom of God is a pile of good fish after the bad ones have been thrown out."

It seems to me that the kingdom of God - as per Ray's teaching - is us (we hope!). Those who will come up in the first resurrection and be a part of stewarding, refining, and correcting creation in the kingdom age. Just like in those parables, the kindom is likened to THE treasure, THE leaven, THE mustard seed - not the process described subsequently but the thing itself, it seems to me that the kingdom of God (us) is (are) the net, "cast into the water" (the chaos of carnality? no sea in the new heavens/earth!), so that when we are regathered, we cannot help but drag everything with us, and we also take part in the division between what is good and what is bad.

I'm sure I'm not the first to suggest this but I haven't heard it before; I'd love to hear your thoughts, criticisms, whether this resonates with you, where you've heard it before if you have so I can seek further wisdom. Thanks folks!

[ed]

I'm sure I'm not the first to suggest this but I haven't heard it before; I'd love to hear your thoughts, criticisms, whether this resonates with you, where you've heard it before if you have so I can seek further wisdom. Thanks folks!

First I heard of it.

Does it fit with "fishers of men"?

I often find truths in the Bible that I get great light from, that don't fly with others............personal revelation stuff, to help me, with things that I have sought and am seeking.   

You write well, thanks for sharing it.

[rosered]

I'm sure I'm not the first to suggest this but I haven't heard it before; I'd love to hear your thoughts, criticisms, whether this resonates with you, where you've heard it before if you have so I can seek further wisdom. Thanks folks!

First I heard of it.

Does it fit with "fishers of men"?

I often find truths in the Bible that I get great light from, that don't fly with others............personal revelation stuff, to help me, with things that I have sought and am seeking.   

You write well, thanks for sharing it.

I totally agree with you ed 
  same here  ..  I so enjoy your input !!    :HeartThrob:

  Dear Farls ,
I am also reminded of Peters  dream when he doubted  and  kind of when back into  the letter of the law that kills    , what he trusted in and was familiar  with     

instead of   the new and living way that Christ teaches   , I can also see the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins [the kingdom of heaven is like ?]     parables

  both natures    the carnal and spiritual      and the warring between the two

I believe Peter's   of the great white sheet  and all the beasts were  taken up   in that sheet   vision was more  of the all are clean
and the''' rise Peter kill and eat   '''       for me that is   the fading of  the law    of the old covenant and      the new one set up as in Christ   and His work  AT THE CROSS , making all clean by His own blood ...  sacrifice of the innocent lambs blood  , MAKING HEAVEN OPENED TO ALL

Acts 10    Peter had this  done  3 times , very significant   SIGN  to me    , he was not  to call no man uncommon or unclean  by the grace of God  , all men were cleansed   from that point onward , no more separation between the two      types
I can see Heaven as the net and also the  great white sheet   
I noticed that whatever JESUS SPEAKS OF    THE APOSTLES expound on and explain in a more clearer     speech
  I call this the heavenly language        that when you hear what the Spirit is saying   and obey   the command   you have entered a type of ''rest''   for your souls and

  the living works follow    from those dead works of mens hands and powers     that be

Being beheaded      as  John the baptist was  ,''    the least in the kingdom [  no greater  than he ''born of woman''  ,  is where the Mind of Christ  , the new Head and Authority is   given as the greatest in the Kingdom

MATT 11

10"This is the one about whom it is written, 'BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.' 11"Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12"From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force....


  Rev 20:4   And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

   For  me this means  no more letter of the law that kills , but by the Spirit of Christ of Gods loving   nature ,  in you the hope of GLORY  and  HIM AS THE HEAD    would no longer come by force and   violence    , but  by the grace of  God though the   gifts of HOLY SPIRIT       as your witness

I see much unfolding now     from the time of the Cross being,'' the fulness of times''      to even now  ,  its ready and prepared   for all to enter , if they just  be willing   and desire  a beautiful Spiritual and living way   by Gods grace   and love to all ..




 

[eaglesway]

That would integrate well with Romans 8:22-28 and 2 Cor 5:11-21.

[sheila]

 depends on the spirit of he that uses the net.... :Chinscratch:  Habkkuk 1;14  You have made men like fish in the sea

   like sea creatures that have no ruler.  The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks...he catches them in his net...

   he gathers them up in his dragnet,and so he rejoices and is glad.  Therefore he sacrifices to his net[ :eek:] and

  burns incense to his dragnet,for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food.

  Is he to keep on emptying his net destroying nations without mercy.?


   ch  write down the revelation so that a herald may run with it............ see,he is puffed up..his desires are not

  upright- but the righteous will live by his faith- indeed,wine betrays him;he is arrogant and never at rest. Because

  he is as greedy as the grave,and like death is never satisfied,he gathers to himself all the nations..and

takes captive all the people's.


  beware of him of this spirit and his ministry[I was caught in one of these]  they want to take their brother's captive

and Lord it over other's...and worship their nets[ministry] for greedy gain


   traps and snares...sometimes the churches are the ties that bind...beware the womans heart that is a trap and snare!

  whatever ye loose on earth is loosed in heaven,whatever ye bind on earth is bound in heaven..

    the whole creation groans for the glorious freedom of the sons of God.

[eaglesway]

I think in reference to the kingdom of God in the parable of the net and the good and bad fishes, we as the net is very real.

As I said before, think about tha age to come, "Know ye not you will judge the world?" Setting th whole creation free into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Man, I type those wrds and its like, "Do you really believe that?"   But yea, I DO believe that and it is awesome.

".. so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." Eph 2:7

Why?

and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.