Christ's Object Lessons (1900) / Chap. 10 - The Net Chap. 10 - The Net

The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind;
which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast
the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked
from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of
teeth." {COL 122.1}
The casting of the net is the preaching of the gospel. This gathers both good and evil into the church.
When the mission of the gospel is completed, the judgment will accomplish the work of separation.
Christ saw how the existence of false brethren in the church would cause the way of truth to be evil
spoken of. The world would revile the gospel because of the inconsistent lives of false professors. Even
Christians would be caused to stumble as they saw that many who bore Christ's name were not
controlled by His Spirit. Because these sinners were in the church, men would be in danger of thinking
that God
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excused their sins. Therefore Christ lifts the veil from the future and bids all to behold that it is character,
not position, which decides man's destiny. {COL 122.2}
Both the parable of the tares and that of the net plainly teach that there is no time when all the
wicked will turn to God. The wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest. The good and the bad
fish are together drawn ashore for a final separation. {COL 123.1}
Again, these parables teach that there is to be no probation after the judgment. When the work of
the gospel is completed, there immediately follows the separation between the good and the evil, and
the destiny of each class is forever fixed. {COL 123.2}
God does not desire the destruction of any. "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the
death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil
ways; for why will ye die?" Eze. 33:11. Throughout the period of probationary time His Spirit is
entreating men to accept the gift of life. It is only those who reject His pleading that will be left to perish.
God has declared that sin must be destroyed as an evil ruinous to the universe. Those who cling to sin
will perish in its destruction. {COL 123.3}