What About Unbelievers Part Two

What about Unbelievers? Part Two

Last week I mentioned that a couple of you asked a question after the two messages on the return of Christ and end of the age from 1 Thess 4 and 5. The question was basically--What about unbelievers at the second coming of the Lord Jesus? The question is asked because it is not really addressed in 1 Thessalonians.

I reflected on Paul's words where he did not want the Thessalonians to be ignorant, so he instructed them in the letter. It is one of the handfull of times when we know it was Paul himself teaching the church. Remember how the Apostle did not want them to be ignorant on the topic of what will happen to those who have died in the Lord when Jesus returns.

Paul did not intend to tell the Thessalonians everything there was to tell them about the doctrines of the end times, commonly called eschatology. He gave them an answer to their question in order to give them comfort about the dead and the living and then went on to give more comfort and to build them up in the faith with the positive aspects of Christ's return as it affects them.

So, to start to answer the question about the unbeliever, we needed to go to some other text or texts. We went to Matthew 24 &25. This text is another one that is often misused and made to say a number of things that it does not.

Remember the simplest statement about all of these things-- Heb 9:27-- And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment….

We saw how Jesus took the disciples for a walk down to the Mount of Olives--the place in Jerusalem where he will return.

Along the way, Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple.

This provoked a series of questions from the disciples. When they get to the Mount of Olives, they came to Jesus to ask three questions. The rest of the 24th and 25th chapters are Jesus's answers to those questions. If we fail to realize this, there are all sorts of things we might do with these words.

The Questions

³ Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, (Question #1)“Tell us, when will these things be? (Question #2) And what will be the sign of Your coming, (Question #3) and of the end of the age?”

I sought to let the text answer the first two questions and stopped there. However, Jesus throws in a couple of parables at the beginning of chapter 25 and then explains with more parabolic or metaphoric language what the judgment will be like.

Now, let me say this, Jesus is teaching the disciples. They are about to go through a baptism of fire. Jesus tells the disciples about an important aspect of the judgment in order to comfort them and prepare them for what they were about to face: the arrests, trials and crucifixion of the Lord. But, also the scattering of the disciples that would be a part of the reaction of these very men to the events that come to pass in God's providence.

That said, there is more to the general judgment and what will happen to the unbelievers that what Jesus here teaches.

Let me pick up at verse 29 in Matthew 24. The section is entitled:

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁹ “Immediately after the tribulation of those days [the days in which these things are happening] the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

This is the language of a cataclysmic event--the moon stops reflecting, the stars will fall from heaven, and the strength believed to come from the heavens will be interrupted--if my interpretation is correct. Regardless, there is a great disruption to the normal course of events that precedes the return of Jesus.

 ³⁰ Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (1 Thess 4 and 5)

This is where the teaching of 1 Thess 4:13-5:11. The last section is to make them aware of the return of Jesus will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. Here in Matthew 24 Jesus answers the question about his return. The sign of his coming is his presence in heaven--meaning in the air as we read in 1 Thess 4. We will be caught up with him in the air to be with the Lord forever. We are looking at the same event from two different contexts. The first answered a simple question. In Matt 24 & 25, Jesus develops the end of the age so the disciples will know what to expect.

Wars and earthquakes are not the signs. Nations rising up against nations is the beginning of the end. The more obvious sign is the one that immediately precedes the event of Jesus' return. Look at the immediate effect--all the tribes of the earth will mourn. In an instant it will be too late and they will know it. The second coming of Jesus is tragic for a great portion of the tribes of the earth who have not believed.  That is why they mourn. Yet, the same act is a great and glorious blessing for those who are the true sons and daughters of God demonstrated in part by their perseverance in the faith--they endure to the end.

The return of Jesus is the sign of the end of the age, that is why it is important to remember:

No One Knows the Day or Hour

³⁶ “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,^[e] but My Father only.

God the Father knows when the Son will come again. We can't speed it up and we can't slow it down. The time is set.

 ³⁷ But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸ For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

What is the point of this reference? In the days of Noah, people were going around their business not expecting anything cataclysmic to overtake them. What they were experienced seems like the normal course of events to them. The regular patterns of life were there lot in life, until the flood came and washed them all away.

When Jesus returns, those who are his will be saved. The dead will rise first and then those who are alive and remain. One from among two walking; one from among two working in the field. Once Jesus returns it is too late to believe. Now is the day (or age) of salvation.

 ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.

 ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

⁴² Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour^[f] your Lord is coming.

The end of the direct part of the answer to Question 2 with other items mixed in for clarity. The next two parables are to remind the disciples to always be ready. By extension, this comes to us. We do not know when Jesus will return. We know that he will. So, we must be vigilant like the virgins waiting for the bridegroom: prepared and ready to meet him when he comes.

The parable of the talents is the transition from the second to the third question: The end of the age. It reminds the disciples of the importance of using your gifts and graces and material assets if needed, for the good of the kingdom.

It the straightforward language of Paul's epistle: Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

This brings us to Question #3 and the end of the age:

First a word about the two age structure of the New Testament's redemption.

Matt 12:32--Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. These words are meant to be inclusive of all time yet future. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit will never, ever, be forgiven. It is expressed in this way to show how wicked a sin it really is.

There are two ages: the one in which we now live and the one that is to come. This one began with the coming of Jesus. The age to come begins with the second coming of Jesus.

Mark 10: ²⁹ So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife^[e] or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, ³⁰ who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.

This is life in this gospel age. What are the houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children with houses and lands and with persecution? This is referring to the church--where else can you have a plurality of mothers looking out for you? This is a statement about life in this age. In the age to come we will have eternal life--which is literally rendered--life of the aeons or ages--in the original.

There are other places we could go to establish this even further. Eph 2:20-21 establishes Jesus as Lord of all in this age and in the age to come. There are only two ages the New Testament reveals since the coming of the Son of Man.

As we move to the answer of the third question, we need to be aware that it is talking about the end of the world. This is what the end will be like--or at least one important aspect meant to give the disciples comfort--men no matter how bad things might seem to get when I am taken, don't lose heart, it is not the end of the world, it is not even the beginning of the end, it is necessary to provide salvation for my elect.

The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations or Unbelievers Chap 25:31ff

1. The Glorious Return

Matthew 25:³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy^[c] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

Human words cannot convey the glory of this sight. The hymn reads, Look ye saints the sight is glorious see the man of sorrows now, from the heights he reigns victorious, every knee before him bows.

Jesus will be somewhere and visible to all the earth. How that works out with a sphere, I don't know--I have some ideas, but I'll keep them to myself.

Jesus will manifest his glory, perhaps as he did at the Mount of Transfiguration. There he turned into unapproachable light. Somehow all who see him will know what is going on. It is a sight that must be seen to be appreciated. As those numbered among God's elect and his sheep, we will have front row seats on his right hand.

2. The Separation

 ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. ³³ And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

We are not told the basis upon which this separation was made. I believe the disciples knew because they had been with Jesus for years. They heard his many illustrations using sheep and himself as the great shepherd. And, in John 10 where the sheep know and hear the voice of the shepherd. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

This is what Jesus came to Jerusalem to do. He is preparing the disciples for what must come to pass. At the end of this age, the shepherd-King will say to his sheep important words. Please note that they are already sorted into sheep and Goats picturing the true believers as the sheep who heard and followed him and the goats who did not.

 ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

The Kingdom of heaven had always been prepared for the sheep. What a wonderful realization. Through all of our difficulty, it was waiting for us when we would be brought into the presence of the Lord.

3. The Character of the Elect

Jesus as judge talks about what they did consistent with a redeemed life…

 ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

These are not extraordinary things, but acts that seem very ordinary. These are the sorts of things believers seek to do for others--to the household of faith and to all men as we read in Gal 6:10. By virtue of salvation a new operating system is loaded to make us different. We see needs and we seek to do what we can to meet them--even when people take advantage of us. We do it because the grace of God has come and taught us to be different that we were. This change especially over time gives us new affections and a new way of living. The glorious thing about it is that we might not always realize it. There are all sorts of ways this could be illustrated by things that have happened here--including helping a brother move without grumbling or giving it a second thought--it is what Christians ordinarily do to help one another.

This is why I can say, the believer may not even realize he or she is doing this in faith to the glory of God…

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

The King's Words

 ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did itto one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

This is an important biblical principle: what you do for believers in a church is equated with doing for Jesus Himself. Jesus didn't ask Saul why he was persecuting the church. He asked, why Saul was persecuting him. We must be careful with how we treat his sheep. Jesus takes it seriously. Even good things done for the least of his brethren he takes those graces as being unto himself.

When we serve one another we don't just do it for each other, we serve the Lord Jesus Christ directly. This is the glory of truly good works which were foreordained for us in advance (Eph 2;10).

There is more to it:

4. The Character of the Unbeliever

⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴² for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

Have you ever realized that all unregenerate people will answer for the way they have treated God's people, and therefore him, in this age? This is a basis for the final judgment. In other places there are more. But, when Jesus teaches the doctrine of the end of the age to the disciples he wants to comfort them with this aspect of the doctrine.

The unbelievers reply:

⁴⁴ “Then they also will answer Him,^[d] 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?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

The goats on the left seek to justify themselves by their ignorance. That is no justification. They failed to serve God's people,  his elect, his church and in failing to serve them they did not serve the Christ. Now, notice that it does not ask if they served the least of those in their same category. The contrast throughout only make sense if those sheep on the right are contrasted with the goats on the left. The goats should have served the sheep. They did not. Therefore….

 ⁴⁶ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Being a believer makes a difference in the life. God makes it to be that way. Titus 2:11 & 12 is clear on the effects of saving grace--¹¹ For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,¹² teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age…

I preached a message on that passage a few years ago. One person came to me somewhat troubled by what I said. This person said, "If what you are saying is true, I may not be a saved person." When I accepted her observation with trying to convince her otherwise, she was troubled. In her mind, there was not possibility that conversion was spurious--and without real fruit unto godliness. God's Word defines how we discern one another's Christianity. True believers will live as true believers. Do they struggle with besetting sins, YES. But, they make progress and have some ongoing transformation by the work of the Spirit.

If one is wrong about the presence of real faith, at the return of Jesus it will be too late. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and by his mercy may he give you repentance and faith.

But, consider these words from Matt 25 in another light. The great human politicians, kings, nobles, Popes, priests, ministers, peasants, middle class workers, bosses and each and every man will be brought to the judgment either as a sheep or a goat.

Think about the goats with me for a moment. Think of the men you know about who have the most contrary to the gospel ethos about them. Vladimir Putin might come to mind or Saddam Husein. Perhaps the leader of Syria of North Korea. And there are many others who by all appearances do not appear to be Evangelical believers.

At the end of the age, at the judgment, these men will be called before the Lord Jesus Christ. If we understand Chapter 25 correctly, Jesus will be righteous to ask them, pointing to those sheep on his right, "What have you done for the least of these my brethren?" How did you treat Christians--my brothers and sisters? What did you do for the good of my Church?

What about the great businessmen of our day? What about the President and Congress? What have they done explicitly for the good of Christ's elect? Their ignorance of their need to do this does not absolve them of their guilt. These verses were the bases for a lot of the preference that was given to the church in Europe during the middle ages and beyond. But a lot of that was given out of bad motives, thinking it would make one a sheep by their works. Works have no place in gaining God's favor. Paul wrote in Rom 11:6 that one is not the other. As soon as you mix faith and works, you obliterate both.

What determines your status at the end of this age is the presence of faith--have you heard the voice of the good shepherd and do you follow him to the best of your weak ability--but follow him you do. Get on His side,

There is a day like this that will surely come. Will you be ready for the glorious day and receive the salvation for which you have longed? Or, rather will you be cast into utter darkness forever?

Will you be numbered among the elect as a sheep or God's enemies as a goat?