The Heaton File

Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. What grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine, for it is a year of rest for the land. (Leviticus 25:3-5)

Trusting The Lord In The Seventh Year

When God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses for the nation of Israel, the seventh day was a day of Sabbath rest, during which no one could do any work. This included servants and strangers within the gates. Six days the people could labor, farm, and travel, but the seventh day was a day wholly devoted to the Lord. The Hebrews found a man picking up sticks on the Sabbath, and after inquiring from the Lord what to do with him, took him out and stoned him to death. The Sabbath was a holy day, and God demanded respect for his word.

It took a lot of faith to work six days and then rest on the seventh day, when no work was done. This required much preparation on the sixth day and trusting the Lord on the seventh day. The lesson was to learn to trust in the care of the Lord God. This test became more evident when God instituted the Sabbath of the seventh year. While the people were gathered at Mt. Sinai, the Lord commanded Moses to tell the people that when they entered the land of promise, they would work the land for six years, pruning the vineyards, plowing and sowing seed in the fields, and gathering the bounty of the crops and fruits. But in the seventh year there would be no sowing, planting, pruning, or harvesting. For a whole year, the land was to lie fallow.

A farmer knows the need to prepare the soil, plant at the right time, and maintain the crops until harvest. Land is a valuable commodity. A good farmer will know the value of the land and the time required to provide an abundant harvest, including the proper use of the land. God commanded the Jews to work the land for six years, but they were prohibited from working the land on the seventh. The land would lie dormant for a year. No plowing. The vineyards would not be pruned. They were forbidden to gather the harvest from what came up naturally. Every seven years, the land would rest, and Israel would learn to trust in the Lord that year as they watched valuable land remain silent.

God provided for the people through His great wisdom. He explains to them that their concern about eating off the land in the eighth year will be difficult because the land has not been produced for a year. How will they eat when it takes so long to regain the produce and crops? If the people trusted in the Lord, He would command His blessings upon them in the sixth year, and it would bring enough produce for three years. They could sow in the eighth year and eat the old produce until the ninth year, or until the new produce came in. The key lesson for the people was to trust the Lord’s word that He would provide for them. It took a great amount of faith to let the land rest for a year without working the soil, planting new crops, or harvesting the fruit. What God wanted the people to learn was how to trust in the provisions of the Creator.

The Law of Moses has been abolished, and there are no requirements to let the land lie fallow every seven years or to observe a Sabbath day on which no work can be done. The lesson of trust remains. Human nature has difficulty trusting God and His word. There is a tendency to take charge of life’s affairs and trust no one. Putting one’s trust in a God who cannot be seen is difficult for the human heart. Those who have faith in God learn to trust His word and the providential hand of the Lord as true and righteous. God’s presence is seen in the universe but only through the eye of faith. Life can be challenging and hard. Those who learn to allow God’s presence to fill their hearts will learn that His word is true and His promises eternal. No matter what life brings, always trust in the Lord. Learn to let the land lie fallow for a year. God will provide.

Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. (2 Corinthians 5:9)

What Is Your Aim?

Life without an aim is aimless. That goes without saying. Everyone has an aim in life, but often they aim too low. Without an ambition in life, there is nothing to live for. Many people have great ambitions and lofty goals. They are driven by their ambitions to succeed in finance, entertainment, popularity, fleshly pleasures, and to make a place for themselves in history. The world is filled with those who have no ambitions and those who have the wrong ambitions. A life is defined by the goals a person seeks, which determine how they live.

What the world refuses to accept is that all the goals of life are empty if there is no aim to prepare for eternal life. Denying there is life after death does not change the fact that there is life after death. One view of humanity is that the world is filled with people who will die and never exist again. That makes man nothing more than an animal. Those who deny creation by God believe humanity crawled out of a prehistoric slime and evolved like the animals, which makes them nothing more than a useless existence with no purpose in life. What is the point of life if all a person does is eat, sleep, and die?

The Christian has a completely different view of life because they have an aim in life. Life for the child of God comes with an eternal destiny. There is hope for life beyond the grave. The promise of eternal life changes the view of the drudgery of a sinful world and the sorrow, sadness, and despair that come from hopelessness. One of the remarkable characteristics of the Christian is there is a purpose to life that gives glory to God. What Paul wanted the saints in Corinth to realize is that the aim of life is to be well pleasing to God. This was in stark contrast to the world of the Corinthians.

Life in the ancient Roman world, and especially the city of Corinth, was characterized by the common phrase of someone who lived a life of debauchery and hedonism as “Living like a Corinthian.” This pointed to the wasteful lives of those whose sole goal in life was to imbibe in all the pleasures of the flesh and mind. Their aim in life was centered on themselves. Writing to Christians living in a city like Corinth presented its own challenge. Paul wanted the saints to rise above their world and make their aim to live righteous in a very unrighteous world. It required aiming one’s heart in the right direction with purpose and courage. Paul admonished the Christians to make it their goal and ambition of life to live in such a way that the Lord would say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Everyone has an aim in life, but most people are aiming for the wrong things. There is only one eternal goal: to be well-pleasing to God. Sadly, without setting the right goals and aims in life, eternity becomes a dark place for those unprepared. They realize too late how important it was to set their hearts to serve the Lord and to realize that man is an eternal creature. Humans make goals and aim for higher things. Animals have no goals, and they have nothing to aim for. People never cease to exist. Animals cease to exist. Which creature should be setting proper goals and aims in life?

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. (Romans 13:14)

Clothing Self With Jesus Christ

The purpose of clothing did not become necessary until after the fall of man. When God placed Adam and Eve in the garden, they were naked and unashamed. The first reaction when their eyes were open was that they were naked, and they became afraid. In a futile attempt to hide their nakedness, they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves, but it was of little use. Before expelling them from the garden, the Lord clothed them in animal skins. The imagery is striking. Clothing became a part of the curse as sin was revealed, and the sacrifice of an animal was required to clothe Adam and Eve.

Sin bears the heart naked before God. All the feeble attempts of man to cover his nakedness fall short of the glory of God. Adam and Eve could not clothe themselves to stand before the Lord. God demanded a sacrifice to clothe His creation, and that became the spiritual theme of God’s relationship with man. As man stands naked before God, condemned and ashamed, there is nothing man can do to clothe himself. The Gentiles could not save themselves (as a law to themselves), and the Jews proved that man could not live holy by keeping the Law. Jesus lived the Law in perfection, showing the pattern of righteous clothing that can only come from the grace of God.

Paul told the Roman saints to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” to imbibe in the principles of righteousness found in the Son of God. Righteousness comes from imitating the character of Jesus. Obedience is necessary to show one’s heart to the word of God and become like Jesus. Life becomes a pattern of clothing oneself with the teachings of the Holy Spirit without making provisions for the flesh. Satan desires men to remove the clothing of righteousness and believe there is glory in being unclothed before God. In the physical world, it is shameful to expose the body to nakedness. Fulfilling the lusts of the flesh (nakedness) will bring shame and the wrath of God.

Jesus clothed Himself with the glory of the Father. Everything He did was to show the blessings of His Father and His word. Walking in the footsteps of Jesus is putting on the garments of righteousness, showing the world how to put on the character of Christ without fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. Paul told the Ephesians saints to put on the whole armor of God to resist the darts of the evil one. Without the proper protection (clothing), the soldier would die quickly in battle. Going up against the wicked one without clothing (armor) would be certain defeat.

Clothing the heart with the word of God is to remove the deeds of the flesh and put on the shining armor of light or right living. People of God belong to the day who stand against evil with the proper clothing that will prepare them for battle. The character clothing of the Christian is not found in the lusts of the flesh. People of God wear the garments of righteousness. They are easily identified in a world naked of truth, righteousness, and holiness. Sin can only be covered through the will of the Lord and worn according to His design. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Do not clothe oneself with the provisions of the flesh. Dress in the robes of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:22-26)

Wait Quietly

It is not easy to be patient. There is an inherent character flaw in most people who are unwilling to wait for something when they want it now, not later. Patience is not only a virtue but also a difficult character trait to develop. The fruit of patience is learning how to live under the will of the Lord in accordance with His time and the purpose of His will.

Being patient is also learning how to trust in the word of the Lord. Adam and Eve were impatient with God when they did not trust His word. Sarah and Abraham tried to hurry along God’s promises when Sarah offered Hagar to Abraham. Eleven years had passed, and God had not given them a son. It would take another 14 years before God’s word came true.

God created time, but He does not rule according to the flow of the sun, moon, and stars. Everything is done according to His time. The world does not realize the blessing of God’s longsuffering, because if God acted like men, the world would have been destroyed long ago. There is no reason man should exist after the flood because of how wicked the world has become.

Only by the mercy of God does the Creator not immediately destroy all life on earth. The compassion of God is everlasting for His love for mankind. Each day is a reminder of how patient the love of God is. Life is tenuous, and one day the Lord will destroy all life in the final judgment, but until then, the eternal mercy of God waits, allowing men to repent and find salvation in Him.

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him. What challenges the mind of man is subjecting his will to the will of God. Waiting on the Lord demands trust that God’s way is best. Seeking the word of God is where hope is to release the prideful desires of his heart and to live according to the word of God.

This is counter to the desires of the flesh and the pride of life that exalts the will of man above God. Every time the human heart runs ahead of God, it stumbles, falls, and fails to trust in the Lord. Waiting for the Lord takes quiet patience, knowing the way of the Lord is best. Not only does God want His creation to wait on Him, but He also desires that man wait quietly. That becomes even harder than learning to wait.

Waiting quietly is not uttering a word of instruction or seeking demands from the Lord. To quietly wait is to fully submit the will to the Lord and allow His purpose to be glorified in the life of the individual. The failure of the human heart is its inability to know all things. That is not the case with God. Seeking the Lord requires submission to His word with quiet patience. One can stand in line, patiently waiting and complaining the whole time. This is not submission.

It takes greater courage to face the will of God with quiet determination, honoring Him because of His mercies. It is good for the faithful heart to wait for God and to seek His will in the affairs of life. This develops the eternal character of trust and love when one hopes in the word of the Lord and waits quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Trust in the Lord – quietly.

Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil. (Hebrews 6:17-19)

The Anchor Of The Soul

From the beginning, when men built boats and needed something to hold the boat in place and give it stability, the anchor has been an integral part of ship design. At first, the anchors were crude instruments of rocks or baskets of rocks that would hold the boat in place. Later, more sophisticated designs were developed to represent modern anchors and their use. As the Hebrew Christians were in danger of abandoning their faith in Christ and returning to the old law, the writer of the letter exhorts the saints to retain their hope in God, as an anchor secures a ship. No greater promises can be given but the abundant grace of the Father who cannot lie and has promised eternal life for all the faithful.

A mariner relies on the anchor for security and safety during storms. As the winds and waves batter the ship, the anchor holds the vessel in place. When an anchor is securely tied to something solid, the storms will pound the ship with their fierce winds and powerful waves, but the ship will remain unmoved. Using the picture of the anchor, the saints of God must place their trust and faith in the promises of God. In the trials of life, the Christian can place their hope and trust in the Lord, who will, like an anchor, be sure and steadfast to keep the soul at peace. Jesus becomes the image of the anchor when He was fast asleep in the boat with His disciples while a storm raged. He knew the Father would protect Him, and He had no fears.

Hope is the anchor of the soul. A life without hope is like a ship without an anchor. It matters what the anchor is tied to. The world secures its anchor to the changing wisdom of man, the fading pleasures of the flesh, and the pride of the heart. Satan tempts the soul to seek the fleeting things of this life. None of these things lasts. When an anchor is tied to things of the world, there is no hope. True safety is found in placing trust and hope in the Lord God, who cannot lie and who has promised eternal life to those who are faithful. The ultimate test of faith comes when men face death, and without an anchor secured in the promises of God, the passage of death is hopeless. For the child of God who rests their hopes completely on the word of God, like an anchor, the soul is at peace.

Jesus suffered and died to give man hope. When the soul turns to the Lord to place its anchor securely in His grace, life has meaning and death its reward. Hope is the promise of God that keeps the soul and of the final resurrection. Life is not about the here and now but that which is to come. There is a greater reward in eternal life, and this promise anchors the heart in the promises of God, knowing that God cannot lie and that everything He has promised is true. When a man places his life in the anchor of Jesus Christ, the storms of life will come, but there will be safety in securing himself to that which will not move. There can be joy in trial because there is hope in God. Everyone has an anchor. The question is to what the anchor is secured.

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

He Is Always Faithful

The consequence of sin is the inability of man to be a faithful creature. Everyone sins and falls short of the glory of God. At best, the noblest humanity has to offer are failed creatures. Noah was a man who walked with God, but he failed. Abraham was called the friend of God, yet he failed miserably. Moses was one of the greatest men of scripture, but he was not always faithful to the Lord. Peter spent many hours with the Son of God, yet in the desperate hour of Jesus’ betrayal, Peter denied the Lord. The constant in the story of humanity as failed creatures is that the people of God serve a God who is always faithful. There have been men who have been mostly faithful, but only God has been faithful without failure.

Jesus gave His life as an example of faithfulness. He lived His whole life without sin. His life was a faithful testimony to the keeping of the Law, which no man could achieve. The sacrifice of Jesus was the death of a sinless and perfect man. He had the same temptations that all men face, yet without sin. Satan tried to dissuade, defeat, and discourage Jesus at every point of His life, but failed. Jesus served His faithful Father, who promised Him the exaltation of glory to be King of kings and Lord of lords. Everything God said He would do for His son was accomplished. Death could not hold Jesus, as the faithfulness of God raised Him from the dead on the third day. God kept His promise and glorified His Son.

The message of Jesus to the world is to see how faithful His Father has promised to be. Everything God said is true because He is the truth. God does not do right things; He is righteousness. When God spoke the world into existence, His word became the promise that the world would continue until His word is spoken again. Every day the Sun rises is a testimony to the faithful word of God uttered on those six days of creation. The same moon Adam and Eve gazed upon still quiets the night throughout all generations because God ordained the heavenly beings to take their place for the glory of God. When the Father revealed His word to man in written form, a message of faithfulness was inscribed on the pages of that revelation, and it remains unchanged. The word of man changes constantly, but the word of the Lord endures forever.

Through Jesus Christ, the greatest gift of faithfulness is found in the promise God made for sinful man to find eternal life. None of humanity deserves the mercy of God, but He gives His grace to those who believe in Him and obey His word. The most amazing grace extended by the hand of a gracious Father is to know God will wash away the sin that separates God and man. He is willing and just to forgive a man his sins and to remove those sins as far as the east is from the west. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, God regains the communion of eternal fellowship with all who will obey His will. His faithfulness never fails. The word God spoke to forgive sin is the promise of eternal life. What is promised, He is faithful to keep.

The faithfulness of God is the answer to death. Sin brought about the consequence of death as man is separated from the tree of life. Through Jesus Christ, the tree of life is regained in the faithful word of God to find no condemnation for those in Christ. The word of God was given so that those in fellowship with the covenant of the Father can know they have eternal life. Salvation is not a guess or a maybe, but something tangible and real because God is always faithful. The promises of men always fail. All the promises of God will never fail.

God is the God of peace because He is always faithful. Jesus is returning one day to bring home His saints who have lived for Him and served His will. Through these promises, the child of God can approach death whole in their spirit, soul, and body, knowing that the faithful word of God has promised eternal resurrection in the last day. Death is not the final call but the opening shout of eternal glory that will never end. God is faithful. He will do it. Praise God who is faithful.

Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:11-12)

To Glorify God

The sole purpose of man’s existence is to glorify God. Man was created to show the majesty of the wisdom and power of God. There is nothing humanity can accomplish on its own without the blessing of the Creator. Life comes from God. The world was created by the will of God. Every star is where God places it, and God names every star. The universe revolves in its place because the Lord ordained it. When the Sun was formed by the word of the Lord, God placed the burning inferno exactly the right distance to sustain life on planet Earth. Nothing is out of order in God’s creation. Man was created in the image of God. The authority to have dominion over the earth was given to mankind by the Creator of all things.

Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden to showcase the will of the Father. Everything they needed was provided, including the free will to choose to obey the word of the Lord. Satan did not force Eve to take the forbidden fruit. Her guilt was her own, as it was with Adam. The fall of man denied the glory of God, but the grace of God restored it. Instead of abandoning humanity to its own destruction, the Lord God made a promise to redeem the world through the death of His Son. In the eternal plan of God, Jesus Christ would take on the form of flesh, dwell among humanity, and suffer death at the hands of wicked men. This was God’s plan, not man. Jesus died on the cross to show the glory of God.

The death of Jesus brought God and man back to a place where redemption was offered. Most men reject the invitation of grace to find Jesus as Savior and return to a place of salvation. Those who believe and obey the word of the Lord find joy in the redemption from sin. In that cleansing, the Lord remains constant in His desire for His creation to show His glory. The fleshly lusts continue to war against the soul as Satan attacks the heart of God’s people. There is a war between the lust of the flesh and the will of the Spirit. It is a fierce battle. God knows and understands the challenge of fighting against the sins of the flesh. His grace helps the child of God live in such a manner to show the eternal power of God’s mercy.

While the world seeks its own pleasures, the child of God lives in such a manner that God is glorified in all things. The only focus of life is to find ways to let the world see the glory of God. Speaking truth glorifies God. Refusing the temptations of the flesh glorifies God. Being people of faith through the reading of the word of God and prayer sets forth a pattern of life that glorifies God. When the world examines the life of the Christian, all they see is the glory of God. No man can live to perfection as Jesus did, but that is not the eternal plan of God. He knows that men are dust and will not punish them according to their sin.

Living godly lives not only helps fight the wiles of the devil, but also shows the world how sinful man can be transformed into the image of the glory of God. The world wants to live according to the selfish interest of the heart, but the Christian lives so that God will be glorified in all they do. When the world sees the good works of the Christian, what they see is the glorification of how majestic, forgiving, compassionate, and awesome God is. That is the sole purpose of man. Everything in life is about his relationship with God because that is all that life can be. Death comes to all men, and the glory of God is revealed in eternity. Those who glorify God in this life will share in the glory of God in eternity. What glory that will be.

Then the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has occurred among you? Now therefore, deliver up the men, the perverted men who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove the evil from Israel!” But the children of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brethren, the children of Israel. Instead, the children of Benjamin gathered together from their cities to Gibeah, to go to battle against the children of Israel. (Judges 20:12-14)

Refusing To Punish Evil

In the closing days of the judges who ruled the people of God, a disturbing story emerges that rivals that of Lot and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. A certain Levite is passing through the land of the Benjamites and decides to spend the night in the city of Gibeah. His servant had suggested they spend the night in a city of the Jebusites, but the Levite did not want to stay in a city that did not belong to the children of Israel. Coming to Gibeah as the sun was setting, the Levite, along with his servant and concubine, decided to lodge there. They sit in the open square looking for someone to take them into their homes for the night, but no one extends the cultural courtesy.

An old man comes in from the fields, finds the Levite in the open square, and takes him into his home. As they were enjoying themselves, certain men of the city surrounded the house and beat on the door. Like the perverted men of Sodom, they demanded that the old man bring out the Levite so that the men of the city could rape him. Instead, the Levite brought out his concubine for the men to ravish, which they did all night until morning. The concubine crawls back to the old man’s home, where she dies at the threshold of the house.

Returning home, the Levite takes a knife and cuts up the concubine into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sends her body parts throughout all the territory of Israel. He warns the people of God to consider it, confer, and speak up. Four-hundred-thousand-foot soldiers of Israel gather against the people of Benjamin, demanding justice for the crimes of the city of Gibeah. They demand that the city of Gibeah deliver the men who raped the concubine to the point of death. The children of Benjamin would not listen and prepare to go to war with their brethren. Instead of delivering the wicked men of Gibeah, the Benjamites decided to protect the perverted men, leading to the death of more than one hundred thousand people.

It is difficult to understand the cultural nuances of the times when a man is willing to give his virgin daughter or another woman to a mob of perverted men to do with as they please. This is done to honor the guests who come into a home. In the story of Lot, God delivered his family without offering his two daughters. In the story of the Levite, the concubine is given to the men of the city and ravaged until she dies. What makes the story more heinous is that when the people of God are shown the seditious nature of the men of Gibeah to rape a woman to death, they decide to go to war rather than deliver the wicked men. One point that must not be lost in the story is that the Levite did not want to stay in the city of foreigners but in a city belonging to the children of God. The results were catastrophic for the concubine.

Sin cannot be hidden or excused. Paul challenged the church at Corinth for allowing a member to have his father’s wife. This was something even the Gentiles would not allow. Yet, people of God excuse the acts of someone who is clearly in sin and, for whatever reason, accept them and even protect them. What the church people of Corinth were doing was no less than the Benjamites protecting the vile, wicked men of Gibeah. God’s justice came to those men and the city of Gibeah as the vengeance of the Lord had them killed. The church member in Corinth repented to the glory of God.

Ignoring sin does not answer sin. When someone is in sin, their souls stand in jeopardy before the judgment of the Lord. Allowing sinful actions to continue is a greater sin. Turning a “blind eye” is not seeing how terrible sin is. It is easy to suggest that sin is a “lifestyle” or to refuse to rebuke a man because of his wealth, position, or power, or whatever the cause not to address sin. God is not a respecter of persons and will judge sin on the merits of what that sin is, regardless of what the world says and does. Sex before marriage is a sin and will condemn a soul to torment. Drunkenness is not acceptable. Pornography can and will destroy the soul. Marital infidelity is serious. Being in an unlawful marriage is condemned by Jesus.

The story of the Levite and his concubine has many layers that are difficult to understand. One lesson stands clear: the Benjamites agreed to accept the actions of the men of Gibeah rather than deliver them for the sin they committed. Thousands of people died because of that decision. When the church refuses to deal with sin as the Bible demands, a gathering of judgment will occur, with many serious consequences.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)

Twenty-Six Days

It is hard to picture life as a vapor. The scriptures say that life is a vapor. From ancient times, the people of God understood the brevity of life as but a vapor. David said that life is as handbreadths, and his age before the Almighty was nothing. At best, every man is but vapor (Psalm 39). David further illustrates that life is like the destruction of a moth that consumes or destroys priceless possessions. Life appears for a little time, but then it goes away, vanishing into the midst of eternity. Everyone has an appointment with death. No one can escape the sting of death.

Moses saw the brevity of life as days to be counted. He appealed to God to teach him how to number his days to gain wisdom. Moses lived to be 120 years of age with his strength not abated and his eyesight clear, but he still died. Methusaleh is recorded as having lived 969 years and died. Tombstones bear the testimony of age with a day of birth and a day of death. The question is not how long a person lives but how many days they have left on earth. James’s appeal to remind the saints of life as a vapor was to show how short a time everyone has before eternity begins.

In a brief moment of time, my son went from a vibrant forty-year-old preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to being carried by angels twenty-six days later to the bosom of Abraham. It was sudden. There was no warning. Everything that could be done was done without success. Thousands of voices lifted prayers for his health. Hundreds of churches carried his name before the Father. He told his mother, “God said no.” His death was peaceful. He only had twenty-six days left. No one knew the time. He preached a final sermon and two days later joined the heavenly cloud. Twenty-six days.

Death is not measured by a calendar. Very few people know when they will die. The irony of life is that death is certain, and yet the world lives as if there is no death. Everything is focused on the day-to-day toiling after the things of the world, recreation, pleasures, plans, and future. No one thinks they will die. And then a tragedy strikes, a diagnosis is made, and life comes to an end. Plans made for today and hopes for tomorrow vanish. All the expectations of life to do this and go there and accomplish this and see that – ends in a last breath. The lesson God tries to show the world is that no one knows what will happen tomorrow. Life is nothing but a mist, a thin vapor that appears for a little time – and – then – vanishes – away.

How would you spend your final moments if you knew you had only twenty-six days left to live? Everritt spent his days glorifying God with trepidation and hope. He has vanished from sight into a world of eternal glory that is beyond description. The vapor of his life is gone, but the joy of his hope is fulfilled. For the living, the lesson must be driven home that all will die, and few know when and how long their time on earth remains. But never doubt the reality of death. The old must die, but the young can die. Jesus did not take death away, but He answered death by bringing life to the world through His blood. Death brings grief and sadness. Eternal life brings hope and joy – and it never ends.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:47-50)

The Divine Dragnet

Jesus taught in parables, using worldly stories to convey divine lessons. Many common, everyday occurrences became teaching platforms that Jesus would weave into divine applications. The purpose of parables sought to strike the hearts of those seeking truth. Many heard His parables, but because of their hard hearts, they went away without understanding the meaning. No parable could be as clear as the story of the dragnet.

A fishing dragnet is a large net used to catch large quantities of fish. It is typically dragged through the water, allowing the net to trap fish in its mesh. Fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James, and John used this technique to fish the waters of Galilee. After Jesus arose from the dead, He found His apostles fishing and told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. The catch was so large they had difficulty drawing it into the boat. John said there were 153 fish caught in the net. Dragnet fishing is an efficient way to catch fish, but it can also lead to unintended catches. The fishermen dragged their net to the shore and sifted through their catch, throwing the undesirables back into the water.

Using the backdrop of a common picture of New Testament fishing, Jesus explains the last day or the judgment day. The kingdom of God is like a man who fishes with a dragnet. A day will come when God brings the world to an end. Angels will come forth, where the wicked will be separated from the righteous. All men will be gathered before the Lord. No one will be left out or escape the judgment of God. There will be a great division where most of the generations of people will be cast into the furnace of fire for refusing to acknowledge God and obey Him. Those who share in the covenant of Christ, cleansed by His blood, will enter the portals of eternal life to dwell with God forever.

The parable of the dragnet is not a myth. As certain as death is the certainty of the judgment. At the end of the world, all men will stand before a righteous and loving God who will execute His judgment according to His righteousness. Jesus taught that most people will be lost. How sad those words. Knowing the judgment of the Lord should lead men to accept His will and obey Him. The final great division is permanent. No one cast into the lake of fire can escape. Those in the presence of God will glorify Him in the eternal ages. There is a great division coming. The question remains whether one will be thrown aside or embraced forever.