Matthew chapters 24 and 25: The Olivet Discourse, Brilliance in the Vagueness

“Therefore stay awake…Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing…” Jesus in Matthew 24:42, 46

"We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first."  (Oswald J. Smith, www.historymakers.info)

“None of us has a long time here on planet Earth.  Its kind of a staging ground.   It’s our split second in eternity when we have an opportunity to invest our lives, our time, our talent and our treasure to help fulfill what our Lord came into this world to do and commissioned us to do.  In fact, His last words before He ascended to be with the Father were: ‘Be My witnesses.’” (Bill Bright, “A Life Well-Lived,” a special edition of Worldwide Challenge magazine)

Just recently, my wife and I stood on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem where Jesus stood when He gave the Olivet Discourse.  There He answered the disciples’ questions about His “coming and the end of the age” (24:3).  We looked down upon the location where the temple once stood remembering Jesus’ prophecy that the temple will be destroyed (see 24:2).  Instead of the “wonderful stones” and the “wonderful buildings” of the temple from Jesus’ day (Mark 13:1), what one sees today is part of a foundational wall and the gold crown of the Dome of the Rock, a Muslim shrine.   

Even though among scholars they are many interpretive differences to the End Times, which have led to many in-house debates (and too many divisions), there is a pool of truths in the Olivet Discourse that most Bible scholars can agree on.    

These truths are 1) that before Christ returns believers on earth will go through a terrible tribulation (24:9-13; 21-24).  2) The gospel will be preached throughout the whole world before He comes (24:14). 3) The return of Christ will be visible and obvious to all the tribes of the earth (24:30-31). 4) There will be a rapture (24:31? See 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). 5) We do not know the day nor the hour of His return (24:36, 42, 44), 6) therefore we should stay awake and keep working until the very end (24:42, 45-46, 25:13). 7) And when Christ comes He will judge all the people of earth (25:14-46).

Prudent Bible scholars do not attempt to predict a date for His return based on 24:36, 42, and 44.   This leaves much speculation and uncertainty regarding His precise return.   As confusing and unsatisfying as this is to those who love His appearing (see 2 Timothy 4:8), there is divine wisdom in this vagueness surrounding His return.   For if we knew the exact date of His return, would we not be tempted to eat, drink and be merry?  Would our selfish human nature not tempt us toward the evil slave (24:48) and to bury His talent in the ground (25:25), only to get sober and engage in His business in the final hour?  But since no one knows (24:36) the final hour, we must live as if THIS is the final hour.

Likewise it is equally wrong to see His return as so imminent that we piously cease working, as the Thessalonians did (see 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15).   Every generation has people who believe they are the last generation.   Even Eve may have believed her first born would be the seed that would crush the serpents head (see Genesis 4:1, cf. 3:15); even though Christ was still centuries away.     Likewise, we must not live as if the work is over and then head to the fields and wait for His return.  Rather let us labor continually as if the Master will be away a long time (25:19; see also 24:48, 25:5). 

Every day we should ascend the highest hill and scan the horizon for any sign of our Master returning.  Yet we should not linger there long but return to our duties of feeding and caring for the Master’s household (24:45) and ministering to the least of these (25:40).     What is vague and unknown also causes us to stay awake (24:42), have our lamps full of oil, not knowing for sure when the bridegroom (25:6) will return.    Oh, the brilliance of God’s divine plan! 

Unfortunately most Christians today are more interested in reading books or watching movies about the End Times than they are interested in working and preaching the gospel to all nations (24:14).  Worse yet, many Christians ignore the tender  branches of the fig tree (v. 24:32)and are living life with no sense of urgency, just like in the days of Noah (24:37).   What our Lord wants us to know about the End Times is to stay watchful, persevere and work while it is still day (see John 9:4), so we can hear our Master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant…Enter into the joy of your master”, (25:21,23).  For we will spend forever with the Lord.  But we have only a short time to proclaim Christ.   

The view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives nearly 2000 years after Jesus from the same mountain looked down upon Jerusalem.

Matthew 25:41-46: “Depart from Me!”

“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life,” Jesus in Matthew 25:46.

Science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov: “For whatever the tortures of hell, I think the boredom of heaven would be even worse.”  (As quoted by Randy Alcorn in Heaven, p. 409)

“God did not ordain the cross of Christ and the lake of fire to communicate the insignificance of belittling his glory.”  (John Piper on facebook, May 3, 2012)

This is the second half of the parable of the sheep and the goats “when the Son of Man comes in his glory…and he separates people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,” (25:31-32).  The context of this parable is the Olivet Discourse, where the Lord is answering questions about His return (see 24:3), and how He identifies with the least of these (v. 45), His brethren, who will be “hated by all nations” (24:9) during the Tribulation.

The judgment pronounced on the goats, those on His left, is swift, terrible and permanent.  “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels,” (v. 41).   Hell is not a place where people go to party with their friends.   It is a terrible place of eternal fire, darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth, void of any accessibility to God and His common graces (Matthew 13:42,50; 22:13; 25:30; Mark 9:48). 

A question asked by both the skeptic and the sincere Bible student is:  “Why must hell be eternal?  Even the vilest human commits a finite amount of sin.”  Hell is not where man is merely punished for his moral failures; it is not a man-centered place.  Hell is a God-centered place for those who have transgressed God’s infinite holiness and glory without receiving the free gift of God’s infinite forgiveness.   Hell is eternal because God’s glory is eternal.  Also, many reject God because they ignorantly want nothing to do with God; God has prepared a place for them and grants them their wish.  

“For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’” (vv. 42-45).

At first glance it may seem otherwise but this parable is consistent with salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) where justification is separate from good works (Romans 3:24, 28).   However, the fruit of a saved life is good works.  James 2:17 teaches that faith without works is dead; Jesus also teaches a tree is known by its fruit (see Matthew 7:20).

At the heart of this teaching about the goats is the importance of the condition of the heart of man.   Jesus taught us that “on that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not … do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me…,’” (Matthew 7:22-23).    Their mere good works, void of reconciliation with God, did not save them.

Musician Keith Green, in a great song about the sheep and the goats, declared wrongly in the song that “the only different between the sheep and the goats is what they did and didn’t do.” Scripture, however, teaches “man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart,” (1 Samuel 16:7). 

The righteous will go into eternal life (v. 46) because they have a personal faith in God, evidenced by (but not because of) their good works.   However the lost will be judged based on their good works, none of which will rise to the height of God’s infinite holiness and glory (see Revelation 20:12); therefore they will go away into eternal punishment (v. 46). 

The good news is that Christ died for our sins and took the penalty of our sins upon Himself and offers us His free gift of righteousness.   2 Corinthians 5: 21 says: “For our sake He made Him who knew no sin to be sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”  May we contemplate the holiness of God and examine our hearts accordingly. 

This Christ-centered painting by Michelangelo Buonarroti, is called "The Last Judgment."  It was painted from 1537 to 1541 in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in Rome.

Matthew 25:33-40: “Lord, When Did We See You Hungry?”

“as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me,” Jesus in Matthew 25:40

“While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while little children go hungry, as they do now, I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight-I'll fight to the very end!”     (William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, May 9, 1912 at Royal Albert Hall in his last public address)

 "Mother Teresa looks past the physical features of every man, woman, or child and sees the face of Jesus staring up at her through them. In every starving child she feeds, she sees Jesus.  Surrounding every lonely, dying man she cradles in her arms is Jesus. When she ministers to anyone, she is ministering to her Savior and Lord."      (Billy Graham after visiting Mother Theresa in Calcutta)

 Jesus finishes His exhortation on “the sign of His coming and of the close of the age” (24:3) with this teaching commonly known as the judgment of the sheep and the goats.  “Before Him will be gathered all the nations” but “He will separate people one from another” (25:32), implying each person will be judged as an individual, regardless of their nationality.

And he will place the sheep on his right, which is the place of honor (see Acts 7:56; Mark 16:19, Psalm 110:1) but the goats on his left.    Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,” (vv. 33-34).  Can one imagine a more glorious thing to hear on the Day of Judgment?  This is a direct parallel to the words of the previous parable, “Well done, good and faithful servant…Enter into the joy of your master,” (25:21).  Greater words of praise will never be uttered!  

Jesus explains to the sheep: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’”  (vv. 35-39).

 Then Jesus the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,’ you did it to me,’ (v. 40).    While Scripture teaches us to feed whoever is needy (see Isaiah 58:10, Proverbs 28:27, Romans 12:20), the context here is Jesus identifying with those inside the circle of faith.  (See also Matthew 18:5 and Acts 9:4-5.)

Not only can nothing “separate us from the love of Christ,” not “tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger or sword,” (Romans 8:35) but He goes further and identifies Himself with those who suffer for His name’s sake.   This is great comfort for those who endure persecution because they claim Christ, particularly those who are being delivered up and killed during the tribulation (24:9).    This is not salvation by works; rather the heart that truly belongs to Jesus will “do good to everyone, and especially those who are of the household of faith,” (Galatians 6:10). 

Recently we laid to rest our Romanian brother Ionel who put aside a lucrative career in post-Communist Romania in order to preach Christ and care for the flock across Romania and Eastern Europe.    We also said farewell to another missionary couple who is returning to America after serving nearly forty years during and after Communism in Eastern Europe.     When our world today is obsessed with celebrities, who quite often are morally and spiritually bankrupt, in the Day of Judgment the real heroes will be celebrated, those who labored anonymously and faithfully to the least of His brothers (v. 40).  Oh, give me the enduring praise of God more than the fleeting praise of man!   

Matthew 25:31-32: Jesus Christ, Worthy to Judge

“Before Him will be gathered all the nations,” Jesus speaking of Himself in Matthew 25:32

Hear the trumpets, hear the pipers, one hundred million angels singing. Multitudes are marching to a big kettledrum. Voices calling and voices crying, some are born and some are dying; its Alpha and Omega’s kingdom come.

            (Johnny Cash, When the Man Comes Around, 2002)

“But the LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows Himself holy in righteousness.”  Isaiah 5:16

In the Olivet Discourse, Christ answers the disciples questions (24:3) by taking them through a series of signs and events that will lead up to His return.  He also admonishes them to not only “be ready” (24:42), but to “be found working” (24:46).   And here in this passage Christ answers why:  “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.  Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,” (v. 31-32).  This is judgment. 

The coming Day of Judgment is testified by the Old Testament prophets (Isaiah 13:6; Ezekiel 30:3; Joel 1:15; 3:14; Obadiah 1:15; Zephaniah 1:7), and by Matthew (13:41-43, 49; 16:27, 19:28).  It will be fulfilled when Christ returns (Revelation 14:14-16; 20:11-15).   And it will be Christ Himself who reigns and who will judge.   “And the Father has given Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man,” (John 5:27).

Christ is the fulfillment of the Daniel 7:13-14 prophecy concerning the Son of Man.  He alone could approach the Ancient of Days.   When no one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth was worthy to break the seals and open the scroll in the right hand of God the Father, then the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, stepped forward, took the scroll from God the Father and opened it.  (See Revelation 5:1-7)   The scroll represents the plan of Almighty God to right the wrongs, restore creation and execute judgment.   Christ alone is worthy to open the scroll and execute judgment.

Why is Christ alone worthy?  Why will He be the judge?  Why not a council of Old Testament prophets?  Why not a panel of great religious leaders in human history?  Why not the twelve apostles or the twenty-four elders (Revelation 4:4) or a panel of our peers?    One word makes Christ worthy:  “Conquered.”  That qualification is laid out in Revelation 5:5. Christ has conquered.  Jesus is worshiped in Revelation 5:9 because He, as the myriad of angels say, is “worthy…to take the scroll and open the seals” (i.e., worthy to execute judgment), because, the angels continue, “You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” 

Paul also affirms Christ’s death on the cross as making Him worthy to judge.  Paul speaks of Jesus this way: “though He was in the form of God…made Himself nothing…He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,” (Philippians 2:6-11).

Christ’s resurrection affirms His authority to judge.  For Christ says, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one.  I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades,” (Revelation 1:17-18).   

Christian, rejoice, endure and persevere.  For we do not worship a mere prophet or a New Age guru or a good moral teacher.   We worship the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16), Creator of heaven and earth (Colossians 1:16), who is far above all rule, authority, power and dominion (Ephesians 1:21).  He is returning and will make His enemies His footstool (Psalm 110:1).  He alone is worthy to judge.    Will you be found watching and working?

"The Last Judgment" by Rogier van der Weyden.   Peter Hitchens (blood brother of well-known atheist Christopher Hitchens) in his book "Rage Against God," says this painting was instrumental in bringing him to faith in Christ.