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Pastor Lars Larson, PhD                                                                                            FBC Sermon #636
First Baptist Church, Leominster, MA                                                                        November 13, 2011
Words for children: sheep, goats, angels                                                                     Text: Matthew 25:31-46
Scripture reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:3-10

The Gospel of Matthew (100)
The General Judgment of Mankind

Our current progress through Matthew:

  I.  Prologue (chs. 1, 2)
 II.  The Kingdom Comes (chs. 3-7)
III.  The Works of the Kingdom (chs. 8-10)
IV.  The Nature of the Kingdom (chs. 11-13)
 V.  The Authority of the Kingdom (chs. 14-18)
VI.  Kingdom Blessings and Kingdom Judgments (chs. 19-25)
          A.  From Galilee to Jerusalem (chs. 19, 20)
          B.  The King enters Jerusalem (chs. 21-23)
          C.  Fifth Discourse: Kingdom Judgment, the Olivet Discourse (chs. 24, 25)
                    1.  Signs of the “End” (24:1-31)
                    2.  Parables Counseling Vigilance (24:32-25:46)

*****************

          Today we come to the 100th Sunday that we have given ourselves to understand the Word of the Lord in this Gospel according to Matthew.  And we arrive at the last section of the Olivet Discourse, in which read of the Final Judgment that will be executed by our Lord Jesus.  Let us read Matthew 25:31-46.

          31“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.  32Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  33And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left.  34Then 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.  35For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, 36I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 
          37“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  38And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You?  39And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ 40And 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.’
          41“Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  42For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, 43I 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.’
          44“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?’ 45Then He will answer them, saying, ‘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.’ 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

          This passage records our Lord’s words about the future general judgment of all mankind.  The account may appear at first glance to be a parable due to the reference of a shepherd who separates His sheep and goats.  But it is not a parable, but rather it is a straightforward statement of what will occur at the end of the age with the Lord including a brief simile, or analogy, of a shepherd who separates his sheep and goats.  Actually, the direct references to a shepherd with his sheep and goats are only in two verses, verse 32 and 33.

32Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  33And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. 

The passage is not a parable, but clear and direct teaching about the final judgment.

          Let us consider…

I.  The details of the account (Matt. 25:31-46)

          A.  The general judgment of mankind (25:31-33)

          31“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.  32Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  33And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. 

          Jesus refers to Himself as the “Son of Man.”  This is the title that Jesus used most frequently with reference to Himself.  It is not a title that is used in Scripture to call attention to His humanity; rather it was the title that He only used to identify Himself as the promised Messiah of Israel.  Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man rather than the title “Messiah” due to much misunderstanding on the part of the Jews of the nature of the Messiah’s mission to save His people.  Jesus used this title before His disciples so that He would not be cast into the mold of the Messiah the Jews were expecting.  In this way Jesus could teach His disciples over time the true nature of His work and mission as Deliverer of Israel.
          Jesus also refers to Himself as the Son of Man coming in “His glory.”  This speaks of His holy nature and the authority that the Father granted Him upon His resurrection and ascension to be seated at the right hand of His Father in heaven.  Upon His ascension to heaven, Jesus was granted “all authority in heaven and earth”, as it is described in one place.[1]  In another place Jesus described Himself as having been granted “authority over all flesh”; that is, authority over all humanity.[2]  On another occasion He spoke of the fact that the Father had granted Him the authority to execute judgment of all humanity since He is the Son of Man.[3] When He first came, He came in humility and His glory was veiled.  When He comes the second time everyone will see His glory.
          Jesus said that “when” the Son of Man comes in His glory, “then” He will sit on His “throne of glory.”  We should not see this as implying that the Lord Jesus is not currently sitting on His throne of glory and will only do so in the future when He returns.  Some say, wrongly in my opinion, that because Israel rejected Jesus as their King at His first coming, that His kingdom and reign were postponed, that His kingdom will not be realized until His Second Coming.  They would use Matthew 25:36 to argue their point.  They would say, “Jesus declared that it would not be until His Second Coming, only then will He be seated on His glorious throne.”  But this is reading into this verse more than what our Lord intended by these words.  We have already shown that Jesus Christ was given all kingly authority upon His ascension.  It was then that the Father highly exalted Him.  It was then that He sat down on the throne of His father David.  This was Peter’s declaration in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost.[4]  As David ruled over the people of God on behalf of God, so the Lord Jesus, the son of David, does even now.  And so, our Lord was not saying that He would not reign as king until He returns, then He will begin to reign.  Rather, He was simply saying here in Matthew 25:31 that when He comes in glory at His Second Coming, then He will mount His throne of glory, as a king might walk up and take his seat in order to pass and execute judgment.  Allow me to give a simple illustration.  Suppose we lived in a land in which a king had authority of affairs of the land.  Some great issue was being deliberated by him and the people were in expectation of his decision.  He announced that on the next Friday afternoon at 3:00 he would state his official finding.  It might be said beforehand, “When 3:00 Friday arrives, then he will sit on his throne and give us his decision.”  That would not be a statement saying that he would not be king until Friday at 3:00; it would simply be saying that at that time he would be seated in his official capacity in his official place to issue his official decree.  I would argue that this is what our Lord was saying here.  “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne”, then He will judge the world as King. 

          Now, most evangelicals today are pre-millennialists in their understanding of future prophecy; they believe the Bible teaches that there will be a future literal 1,000 year kingdom on this earth that is rules by Jesus who sits on a literal restored throne of David in Jerusalem.  It is a Jewish millennium, in that nation Israel will be the leading nation in the world.  It is believed that resurrected and glorified Christians will share in Christ’s rule inhabited by a world filled with mostly Christians, but of non-Christians also.  They argue that the saved and unsaved will be judged at separate judgments that will take place at least 1,000 years (actually 1007 years) apart from one another.  They do not believe that Jesus will judge believers and unbelievers respecting their words, works, and attitudes, and that their eternal destiny will be determined by the outcome of that judgment.  They argue, “believers will only be judged as to the kind and number of rewards they will receive.”  This passage is problematic to their position. 
          In order to hold their view of the future judgment of believers and unbelievers separated by the 1000 year millennium, they say that this account of our Lord may be understood differently.  There are two common alternative interpretations.  First, some of them say this is a judgment of individual Gentiles at the end of a future seven year tribulation period, whose outcome is from judgment will be either entrance or barring entrance into His earthly kingdom.  Christians are not objects of judgment here; they were judged seven years earlier.  Neither are all non-Christians who had died in history; they would not be judged for another 1,000 years. 

This judgment of individual Gentiles is to be distinguished from other judgments in Scripture, such as the judgment of the Church (2 Cor. 5:10-11), the judgment of Israel (Ezek. 20:33-38), and the judgment of the wicked after the millennium (Rev. 20:11-15)… For the other six important judgments see John 12:31, note; 1 Corinthians 11:31, note; 2 Corinthians 5:10, note; Ezekiel 20:37, note; Jude 6, note; and Revelation 20:12, note.[5]

This is the position espoused in The New Scofield Study Bible.  It teaches that this account in Matthew 25 is not a general judgment of all mankind at the end of the age, but one of seven judgments that will take place over the course of 1007 years.
          The second group of evangelicals who are premillennial argue that is account in Matthew 25 is not descriptive of a general judgment of individuals, but of “nations”, that is, countries as political institutions, the outcome of which they would either be dissolved or they would be granted continuance into the millennium.  But this is wrong.  How is it possible to judge countries apart from the individuals in them?  How would one judge a country as a political entity at a future judgment?  How would a judge render eternal punishment to a country as a single entity?  It is not possible.  It makes no sense to me.  No, here Jesus is describing the judgment of all the inhabitants of all nations of all history. 

This gathering of both the saved and the unsaved, and their separation, are described in verse 32…  Clearly, then, the judgment described concerns everybody, the entire human race…  None are excluded, neither the wicked nor the righteous.  “All the nations” indicate all people indiscriminately…  Those gathered before the throne are persons, individuals, without any regard to their nationality; hence, “all the nations.”[6]

          We read that as a shepherd separates his flock between sheep and goats, Jesus will separate His people from those who are not.  Can we even imagine such a scene?  All of the people that have ever lived in history gathered in one place at one time.  There are approximately 7 billion people on the earth today.  One rather serious effort to number the total population of the human race in all of history proposed approximately 107 billion persons.[7]  If even this is remotely the case, can you imagine the scene?  The Lord on His glorious throne and all are gathered before Him?  How each individual is judged for his thoughts, words, and actions is beyond comprehension, but the Lord who is outside of time will accomplish this, so that each one of us will individually stand before Him.  As the Apostle Paul wrote, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil" (2 Cor. 5:10).

          Our Lord compared His people to the sheep belonging to a shepherd.  In the ancient world a shepherd commonly had his sheep and goats grazing together during the day, but he would separate them at the close of the day to their different pens for the night.  The sheep would respond to the shepherd’s voice; the goats would not.  He would call his sheep and they would separate from the goats and follow their shepherd into their pen.  Some believe that our Lord spoke of His people in this context as His sheep in order to suggest their responsiveness to His commands and teaching. 

Sheep probably symbolize those who trust in--that is, “follow”--the Savior, are meek, and obedient (Cf. John 10:3, 4, 27); goats are those who are belligerent, unruly; and destructive (cf. Ezek. 34:17-19; Dan. 8:5, 7, 21).[8]

If this is not suggested here, it is stated forthrightly elsewhere.  The Lord’s people hear His voice and follow Him, as sheep hear the voice of their shepherd and follow him wherever he leads them.

          B.  God’s decreed destiny of His people (25:34-40)

          Jesus declares that He will grant the blessing of eternal life to all of His people.  We read in verse 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.’”
          His people will “inherit the kingdom.”  The Bible speaks in a number of places of the believers’ future “inheritance.”  The Son of God inherited the kingdom promised to Him of His Father.  The King shares His inheritance with all of His brothers and sisters, those who believe on Him.  The “kingdom” in this context speaks of the full realization and manifestation of the Messiah’s realm, in which people dwell in righteousness.  They dwell in a state of peace and joy forever.  There is no devil and no sin.  There is no injustice or even disappointment.  There is no suffering or death.  This is the kingdom in its full and final realization. 
          The New Testament commonly depicts the kingdom as present now and yet in other places, as here, the kingdom is shown to be a future prospect, an inheritance.[9]  It is important to preserve in one’s understanding both the present and the future aspects of the kingdom.  Problems have resulted in peoples’ faith and practice when they emphasize the present form of the kingdom to the exclusion of the future, final form, or when they emphasize the future form of the kingdom to the exclusion of the reality of the present kingdom.  The kingdom is now; Jesus Christ is Lord; but the kingdom is also not yet; our Lord will one day say unto us who believe, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”  Depending on the context of the New Testament passages, the kingdom may be shown to be present, or future, Jesus as King may be seen as a present reality, or a future prospect. "God is now the King, but He must also become King.  This is the key to the solution of the problem in the Gospels."[10]

          The Lord speaks of “the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”  The kingdom is the subject of the clause, but it has a passive verb, the kingdom was “prepared” by God before the foundation of the world.  God “prepared” the kingdom before the creation in the sense that He decreed that it would one day come to pass.  It was God’s plan and purpose to give a kingdom to His people.  All things that happen in history are decreed by our Father from eternity.  Our confession states the matter forthrightly in this manner:

          God hath decreed in Himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein; nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established; in which appears His wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing His decree.[11]

          Passages of Scripture are cited in our confession to substantiate its claims.  Of the above statement of God’s eternal decrees, there are several verses identified.  Consider several of these:

Isaiah 46:8-11.  8“Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, 9remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ 11calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.”

Ephesians 1:11f.  11“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.”

          Not only did God “prepare” the kingdom in His eternal decree, but the Lord will pronounce on that day to His people, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”  Before the foundation of the world God had prepared a kingdom; God had also prepared a people to inherit His kingdom.  If you are a Christian, before the foundation of the world God set His heart upon you and decreed that He would save you from your sin and give you His kingdom as an inheritance.  The act of God the Father choosing you is the doctrine of election in the Holy Scriptures.  That God will cause you to inherit His kingdom is God’s predestination of your end.  God elected you from (before) the foundation of the world and He predestined your glory and eternal happiness from eternity. All that is happening in your life will result in your eternal joy and peace, your glory and your favored destiny.  Currently you will bear the cross, as did your Lord; one day you will wear a crown of glory, as your Lord.  “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psa 30:5).  As Paul declared of Christians their election in the beginning and their predestined end,

          13But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thess. 2:13f)

          Next we read verse 35 and 36 that these ones who inherit the kingdom are granted entrance because of the way in which they conducted themselves in this life.  Jesus describes the way they lived.  He will say to them,

          “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 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; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.” (25:34-36)

          His people are rather surprised upon hearing His blessed words. 

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

Jesus answers them by saying that through rendering loving acts of mercy and service to His people, they had rendered love toward Him.  Verse 40 reads, “And 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.’”
          Now notice that the Lord specifically refers to acts of love rendered to His People.  This is not a reference to people showing general acts of kindness to the needy and the poor; these are acts of kindness and care for His people in particular.  Jesus declared to them that they had rendered acts onto Him when they were serving one another.  Here we see the close identification that our Lord has with His people.  When others curse God’s people, Jesus takes it personally.  Remember what Jesus said to Saul when he was on his way to persecute Christians?  “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”  (Acts 9:4).  And so it is that when others bless God’s people, Jesus takes it personally, He says, “you did it unto Me.”
          Also, I would argue, this is a realization of the promise that God gave to Abraham long before.  God had told him,

          “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.  2And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  3I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  (Gen. 12:1-3)

This promise of God is commonly applied to physical descendants of Abraham only, namely, of ethnic Jews specifically, and by extension, the modern state of Israel.  It is common to hear evangelical Christians say that the blessing of God on the United States of America is dependent on our support and aid given to the nation of Israel, based on these words to Abraham.  I would argue that this promise to Abraham was to Abraham and his spiritual seed, Christians, not to his physical seed, the Jewish people.
          We might see a New Testament demonstration of this.  We read in 1 Thessalonians that Paul spoke of the wrath of God coming upon the Jewish people, who had not believed on Jesus as their Messiah, because they had mistreated Christians.  1 Thessalonians 1:3-10 read,

          3We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, 4so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, 5which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; 6since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  9These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

We read similarly in 2 Thessalonians 2:14-16.

          14For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, 15who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind 16by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved--so as always to fill up the measure of their sins.  But God’s wrath has come upon them at last.

          These sheep loved one another and cared for one another whenever one of them was in need.  Their love for the brethren proves their love for Christ; it validates their claim to be Christian.  The acts of kindness, mercy, and love towards God’s people that our Lord describes in Matthew 25 are brought to light at the last judgment.  By their works of love for the Lord’s people they show proof that they are the Lord’s people.  This is in accordance with other portions of Scripture.  John the Apostle wrote:

"We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.  He who does not love his brother abides in death.  Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." (1 John 3:14f)

          A great indicator of whether or not a person is a true believer is whether or not he loves other Christians.  And we should not reduce the idea of “love” as merely feelings of sympathy or affection for believers; rather, loving the brethren is of acts of love whereby our faith in Christ and love for Him is shown by our actions.  Is this not what James wrote?  We read in James 1:12ff,

          So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.  For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.  Mercy triumphs over judgment.  What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?  Can faith save him?  If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?  Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

          One day, our lives will be scrutinized whether or not they have been characterized by such acts of love.  Our faith will be tried as to whether or not it was a living faith or a dead faith, which is no faith at all.  The outcome of that judgment of our works will be the declaration by the Judge of all the earth as to our eternal destiny.  J. C. Ryle described it this way:

The last judgment will be a judgment according to evidence.  The works of men are the witnesses which will be brought forward, and above all their works of charity (love).   The question will be ascertained will not merely be what we said, but what we did; not merely what we professed, but what we practiced.  Our works unquestionably will not justify us: we are justified by faith without the deeds of the law; but the truth of our faith will be tested by our lives.  “Faith without works is dead, being alone” (James 2:11).

          C.  The destiny of His goats (25:41-46)

          The failure to show acts of kindness, mercy, and love towards God’s people is also revealed at the last judgment.  These are ones who would have nothing to do with life and service in a local church, serving their brothers and sisters in Christ.  We read of the terrible fate of those who did not love the Lord’s people. 

          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: 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 take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’  Then they also will answer Him, 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, 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.’  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. 

          Everlasting punishment awaits those who do not believe in Christ so as to have effected how they regard and behave toward the brethren.  Can we imagine a fate so fearful?  But it is the verdict and pronouncement of the Lord Jesus who renders to every man according to his works.  J. C. Ryle described it this way:

          Who shall describe the misery of eternal punishment?  It is something utterly indescribable and inconceivable.  The eternal pain of body; the eternal sting of an accusing conscience; the eternal society of none but the wicked, the devil and his angels; the eternal remembrance of opportunities neglected and Christ despised; the eternal prospect of a weary, hopeless future,--all this is misery indeed: it is enough to make our ears tingle, and our blood run cold.  And yet this picture is nothing compared to reality.

II.  Several applications our passage

            A.  See how we should be diligent to show forth our faith in acts of love toward God’s people!  We prove our faith and love for Christ by serving one another.  We are to pray for one another.  How much evidence have you amassed for the day in which all will be brought forward to validate your claim to be a Christian?

            B.  See how important it is to be in service in a local church.  This is the place where the people of Christ meet.  This is where they may be known and served.  Each of us should be seeking to find ways to serve Christ by serving Christ’s people.  Loving service rendered to the Lord’s people may come in any number of ways, simple ways, but let us be busy serving one another. 

            C.  Let us warn others of the judgment to come.  We read in the Book of Acts that due to the resurrection of Jesus Christ that God now calls every man everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30f).  God calls them through us.  We must tell them there is a hell to escape and a kingdom to inherit.  We must tell them that the only way to escape the fate of the wicked is to turn from sin, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and to live in faith and obedience, through acts of love, with others of like faith.

            D.  Let us relate to other Christians as they are ones who will render an account to King Jesus.  Sometimes our brothers and sisters stray, and we should see it as our responsibility to do all we can do to restore them to the path that we are all treading that leads to glory.  James wrote these words:

“My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19f)

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.  24And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:23-25)

            E.  Let us live knowing that we will give an account on the Day of Judgment.  This means that we should live in diligence and sincerity.  It does not mean we should live in terror.  In fact, the believer may be comforted by these words.  The One that will sit in judgment when they approach that throne of glory, will be their Savior, their Shepherd, their Priest and Advocate, their sacrifice, their righteousness, their elder brother and their Friend.  There is no condemnation for them that are in Christ Jesus.  If you have shown by your life that you are in Christ, there need be no fear, but rather confident expectation that you will stand in that day.

            F.  But by all means, let us have a balanced and biblical outlook toward the second coming of Christ.  Some see no cause to be concerned about the matter.  “All will be happiness and light.”  Yes, there will be blessing, but that comes upon a thorough examination.  Some will be sad and shocked when the day of the Lord arrives.  May we not be complacent, are as ones sleeping, who think little of this matter so as it effects little how we live!  Do you remember the words of the prophets?  Amos wrote:

Woe to you that desire the day of the Lord!
For what good is the day of the Lord to you?
It will be darkness, and not light.
It will be as though a man fled from a lion,
And a bear met him!
Or as though he went into the house,
Leaned his hand on the wall,
And a serpent bit him!
Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light?
Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it? (5:18-20)

And Zephaniah wrote:

And it shall come to pass at that time,
That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
And punish the men
Who are settled in complacency,
Who say in their heart,
The Lord will not do good,
Now will He do evil…

The great day of the Lord is near;
It is near and hastens quickly.
The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter;
There the mighty men shall cry out.
That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
A day of trumpet and alarm,
Against the fortified cities
And against the high towers.
And I will bring distress upon men,
And they shall walk like blind men,
Because they have sinned against the Lord,
And their blood shall be poured out like dust,
And their flesh refuse…

Seek the Lord, all the meek of the earth,
Who have upheld justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
It may that you be hidden
In the day of the Lord’s anger.  (1:12-17; 2:3)

          These warnings of the day of the Lord are not found in the Old Testament only, but they are in the New Testament also.  James wrote:

"You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.  You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.  Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.  You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.  Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the judge is standing at the door!" (James 5:5-9)

And Paul wrote,

And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.  The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.  Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and lewdness, not in strife and envy.  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. (13:11-14)

          May the Lord help us to live soberly and expectantly.  Let us not live in terror, but in faith.  But on the other hand, let us not live presumptuously, but rather let us be watchful.

          The people of God are not being properly prepared for the coming of Christ and the examination that will come upon them.  It is not believed, for it is not taught.  Our hymns reflect this ignorance, or rather, even denial of this aspect of Scripture teaching.  Look through your hymnal sometime at those songs which have as their subject the coming of the Lord.  There is no caution or warning found in them about the analysis that will transpire.  I am not saying that they are wrong.  They simply do not tell the whole story.

          In contrast to much our current evangelical hymnody that does not warn or rebuke, consider this hymn written by Philip Doddridge, entitled, And Will the Judge Descend?:

And will the Judge descend,
And must the dead arise
And not a single soul escape
His all discerning eyes?

And from His righteous lips
Shall this dread sentence sound
And through the numerous guilty throng
Spread black despair around:

“Depart from Me , accursed,
To everlasting flame,
For rebel angels first prepared,
Where mercy never came”?

How will my heart endure
The terrors of the day
When earth and heaven before His face
Astonished shrink away?

But ere that trumpet shakes
The mansions of the dead,
Hark from the Gospel’s cheering sound
What joyful tidings spread:

Ye sinners, seek His grace
Whose wrath ye cannot bear;
Fly to the shelter of His cross
And find salvation there.

          Oh! May we live in the light of His Second Coming,!  Let us live humbly and trusting, watching and waiting!  We will close with this hymn of Charles Wesley, entitled, “And Must I be to Judgment Brought?

And must I be to judgment brought,
And answer in that day,
And every vain and idle thought,
And every word I say?

Yes, every secret of my heart,
Shall shortly be made known,
And I receive my just desert
For all I have done.

How careful, then ought I to live,
With what religious fear!
Who such a strict account must give
For my behavior here.

Thou awful Judge of quick (those living) and dead,
The watchful power bestow;
So shall I to my ways take heed,
To all I speak and do.

If now Thou stands at the door,
O let me feel Thee near,
And make my peace with God, before
I at Thy bar appear.

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