At the very end of the Gospel of John, after Jesus has risen from the dead, during one of his appearances to his apostles, it is at the Sea of Galilee. The apostles had been looking for fish all night and tired and weary, had found nothing. Jesus was on the shore and he hollered and told them where to put the net. When they followed his instructions, they caught so many fish, they could barely drag them ashore:

 

1.  This is a picture of the Church Age. Right now we are "FISHING," and it is a good idea to FOLLOW the  precise instructions of Jesus IF you want to catch the most "fish".  Otherwise, you will just get all worn out, waste your time and come up empty handed.

 

2.  There will come a time when the last "fish" will be caught.  Note that the FISH in the Church Age are NUMBERED!  The disciples have exactly 153 fish that they drag to shore. The rapture does not happen until that last FISH is caught and hauled in!  A lot of studies (too numerous to mention here) have been done on the incredible #153.

 

3.  JOHN, the disciple whom Jesus LOVED, is one of the greatest types of the CHURCH in the New Testament and it is HE who RECOGNIZED JESUS FIRST. He told the others that it was the Lord on the shore calling to them. Jesus loves all people, but he loved John in a special way, and John KNEW IT. He ever referred to himself as "that disciple whom Jesus loved". John is a type of the Church. Jesus loves the Church in a special way - because we are his BRIDE and are espoused to him, to be married to him one day soon.  It was John who laid his head on the Lord's bosom at the last supper. That would have been right near the Lord's HEART.  Near the 5th RIB, right where he was PIERCED with the Roman sword and the exact same rib that God took from the FIRST Adam to make EVE.  The SECOND ADAM was also "rent" in the same place for his WIFE. When Jesus said at the last supper "One of you will betray me," they all asked "is it I, Lord?"  Everyone except John. John knew that he could never betray Jesus, he loved him too much. He was sitting right next to Jesus and Peter leaned over and asked John to ask the Lord "WHO IS IT?" 

 

4.  Once all the FISH are caught and hauled in, every last one of them --- the Church Age ends and it's time for the marriage of the Lamb and the marriage supper. Notice that Jesus tells them to COME AND DINE. HE has already prepared a meal for them! We are told that he will gird himself and serve us as the marriage of the Lamb.

 

5. Soon and very SOON, all of us "FISH" down here are going to be hauled right smack past Alpha Draconis, the Big Dipper, the Seven Sisters, and Orion, right into the presence of the High & Lofty One who Inhabits eternity - faster than you can say snick (er  snickerdoodle)! Want him to come back sooner?  Get busy FISHING! That LAST FISH is still out there waiting for that "hook" to be dangled in front of them! 

 

(Got your seatbelts fastened? Gonna be a WILD ride!)

 

Rene