In finishing up the Mysterious Kingdom, we are going to touch quickly on the Parable of the Treasure and the Parable of the Pearl before finishing with the Parable of the Dragnet. Matthew 13:44-46 contain two of the shortest parables in the Bible; short but powerful. The Parable of the Treasure and the Pearl paint the picture of two different types of people—those who are not seeking God but find Him and those who are searching intently until the do find Him. Regardless of which category we fall, we find Him and our lives are changed. These two parables show that the Kingdom of God is personal appropriated; we choose to accept it.

The final parable is the Parable of the Dragnet. Jesus says in Matthew 13:47-51 that the Kingdom of God is like a dragnet that catches every kind of fish. The fishermen sort the fish; the good are kept and the bad are burned. He explains immediately that this is what the end of the age will be like. The angels will come and sort the righteous from the unrighteous; the righteous will go on to live eternally with God; the unrighteous will be cast into Hell.

Hell is not something the modern church likes to talk about for it is harsh and offensive; however, to not discuss it is to do an unjust disservice to the world. People need to know the truth, and they can handle the truth. Jesus spoke about Hell more than anyone else in the Bible; He spoke of it 3x more than He spoke about love. He warned people time and again of what would happen if they do not accept Him and the salvation He was and is offering. Hell is a real place. It is horrible with levels that begin with “Your worst nightmare†and get worse from there. Hell is a place that anyone can go and no one can escape. It is eternal, never ending torment where those who chose not to believe are separated from God forever. Hell is in no way a place where we would want to be or want our friends or family to be sent. It is for these terrible, truthful reasons that we should talk about hell. Jesus warned people continuously because He was offering hope of escape. God wants everyone to be saved. The dragnet shows that the world will one day come to an end, and God will judge accordingly. The hope is that there is a way out—Jesus. Will you take it?