“JESUS CHRIST - A MAN APPROVED OF GOD” (Acts 2:22)
  Miracle #39-   “153 FISH CAUGHT – the 2nd catch of fish”

John 21:1-4,5-8,9-12,13-14

1. Knee deep in fish
Israel’s history is about men who get eaten by fish, and fish that get eaten by men … Exodus 7:18; Numbers 11:5; 2 Chronicles 33:14; Nehemiah 33:16; Isaiah 50:2; Jonah 1:17 … and so on.

Jonah gets eaten by a great fish, called a whale. Some King James Bible hating Biologist, Carl Linnaeus in the 1800’s, re-classified animals, and birds, and said the whale is not a fish … which it is … thereby hoping to discredit the Bible.

Christ has power over the things that live in the water … so much so, he has the power for a particular fish to find a coin under the water, swallow it, then have it swim by, to be caught by one of the disciples, in order that a tax may be paid (Matthew 17:27).

2. Caught nothing all night
The disciples not catching any fish is similar to a previous event “…we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” (Luke 5:5).  

Previously, Peter shows a reluctance and is hesitant with an explanation … as if the Lord didn’t know they had been failures with catching fish. However, Peter displayed a releuctant “Oh well Lord, we’ll give it another try if you say so.”

However, this time Peter immediately obeys with no hesitation … having learnt the hard way.

3. Christ often asked questions
He likes the sinner to tell him his need and express his belief and faith in his own words.

“What wilt thou?” (Mark 10:51)
“Lovest thou me?” (John 21:15)
“Where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17)
“Will ye also go away?” (John 6:67)
“Have ye any meat?” (John 21:5)

4. Cast always on the right side (Acts 2:33; Hebrews 1:3; 8:1)

Dear Reader, have ever wondered why Christ speaks about the right side?

Christ is exalted by the right hand of God (Acts 2:33)
Christ sat down on the right of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3)
Christ is set at the right hand of the throne (Hebrews 8:1)
Christ sets the sheep on his right hand (Matthew 25:33)

We say Christ is the righteousness of God (2 Peter 1:1)
We have the phrase “He is an upright fellow” and so on.

When the sun shines straight down on a right angle, there is no shadow that is cast by the upright line of the angle … as the sun is directly above it (James 1:17)

God is light and there is no shadow or death upon them on whom the light shines (Isaiah 9:2) and so on.

5. Peter was naked
Yes Dear Reader, here we are today, sailing around in our own little boats … ‘naked’ as it were … and until we jump out of our vessels and we come to Christ … we will not be girt in his righteousness (John 21:7).

6. Peter drags in the net
It’s not by coincidence that Christ has Peter drag in the net, as Peter represents the kingdom of heaven on earth under Christ … both with the gospel to the circumcision … Paul being to the Gentile … the uncircumcision.

Furthermore, Peter exerts great effort to do this as this represents the works needed under the Sermon on the Mount manifesto.

However, under the kingdom of God dispensation, Christ will do all the work in pulling in the fish … he will get them saved … he will draw them into his net … indeed he will be the net … and the fish in him will have got there because he is already seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

7. Where did Christ get his fish?
When the disciples got to land, Christ already had some fish on the fire … and some bread.

Mmmm! How did he do that? Did he have a fishing rod and bait? Had he just zipped down to the local bakery before breakfast?

I guess he just said “Here Fishy Fishy” and at his command a few Barramundi and Snapper jumped out the water … not farmed either!

What about the bread though? I guess if he had a few crumbs in his pocket, he’d do the feeding of the 5,000 miracle.  

No crumbs? No problem! He created the universe out of nothing … so a few loaves of bread from nowhere wouldn’t be a problem.

8. Christ is the net that can’t be broken
Yes Dear Reader, Christ’s ‘net’ can hold an infinite number of fish if need be (Romans chapter 6) … under the kingdom of heaven this was accomplished … and as it will be up till the Battle of Armageddon.

9. The exact number of 153
“Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three:” (John 21:11)

Ever wondered why the Bible mentions the exact number of fish that were caught? No problem for God (Matthew 10:30).

Indeed, the King James Bible is an exact book, all numbers represent exact times, dates, people and places.

There are exactly 153 people … personally blessed by Christ on 48 occasions!

Conclusion:
Christ is the fishing net that is Almighty.
Christ has done all the work already for getting the human ‘fish’ to shore … that is … into heaven.
Christ is the fishing net that gives eternal security to all that believe on him.

Christ will not let any escape of those IN him!

Harley Hitchcock
May 2023
www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com

“JESUS CHRIST - A MAN APPROVED OF GOD” (Acts 2:22)
  Miracle #40-   “THE WITHERED FIG TREE AT BETHANY”
Matthew 21:17-20; Mark 11:11-14,15-18,19-21 

Shock! Horror! Gasp! Wheeze! There is a contradiction in the King James Bible!

Sorry Folks! False alarm!