During an interview on television, a reporter asked a girl involved in punk rock, “What are you looking forward to?” She said, “I’m looking forward to death.” The reporter asked her why. She said, “I want to die so I can go to hell and have fun!” This is a complete misunderstanding of Hell!

In this final parable in Matthew 13, the Lord shares the story of the “dragnet” which is a picture of the gathering of judgment at the end of the age. All of these parables have been pointing towards God’s kingdom. The Jews looked for the God’s kingdom to be physical but the Lord emphasized that the kingdom would take place within the heart. The culmination of these parables and the kingdom will be the judgment which will separate those who are entering God’s kingdom and those who will not. The end result for the rejecters is the “fiery furnace” where there will be indescribable agony and torment for all eternity. When Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”, it was a wakeup call to pay attention. Are you paying attention?