The Stunning Implications Of Matthew 25:31:46

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Hidden In Him

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Ever contemplated the implications of the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats? I've been mulling this parable over this morning, and I'm seeing something that I've never heard taught before.

Some teach that this parable will be fulfilled after the Millennium, but the context seems to suggest it will actually take place after the second coming. As the text states, it occurs after He "comes in His glory... [to] sit upon His throne" (Matthew 25:31). Since this throne He is referring to will be where He sits after His coming (i.e. to earth), it must therefore be a reference to His earthly throne in Jerusalem, after He returns and sets up His earthly kingdom.

When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the angels are with Him, then will He sit upon the throne of His glory. And all the nations shall be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left. (Matthew 25:31-33)

Here is where it gets interesting: If that is the case, then these sheep and goats are people who survived the tribulation period between when He returned and caught away His saints and when He later returned in power with the angels of His glory to destroy the Antichrist and his armies at the battle of Armageddon. These are people who were not raptured, yet will nevertheless inherit eternal life for having helped His people during the time of the tribulation.

Notice what He tells them:

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you who have been blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom that has been prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I hungered, and you gave Me food to eat. I thirsted, and you gave Me water to 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 sin prison, and you came to Me."
Then the righteous will answer, saying, "Lord, when did we see You hungering, and fed you? Or thirsting, and gave You drink? When did we see You a stranger, and took You in? Or naked, and clothed You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You?" And having answered, the King will say to them, "Truly I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of these, the least of My brethren, you did it unto Me." (Matthew 25:34-40)

Why would He distinguish between these righteous ones and those He refers to as His brethren? If they themselves were already His brethren, He would not have used this language. Rather, the language suggests they were merely those who helped His brethren in their time of need.

Now what are the implications of this? Notice how the wicked are judged on the basis of how they in turn did NOT help His brethren, and that in the end, He will assign them to eternal fire whereas He will reward the righteous with eternal life:

Then He will say also to those on His left, "Depart from Me, those who have been cursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the Devil and His angels. For I hungered, and you gave Me nothing to eat. I thirsted, and you gave Me nothing to drink. I was a stranger, and you did not take Me in. I was naked, and you did not clothe Me. I was sick and in prison, and you did not visit Me." Then they also will answer Him, saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungering, or thirsting, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?" Then He will answer them, saying, "Truly I say unto you, in as much as you did it not to one of the least of these, neither did you do it to Me." And these shall go away unto eternal punishment, but the righteous unto eternal life. (Matthew 25:41-46)

There is no mention made of these righteous ones "believing on the Lord Jesus Christ," nor are they judged righteous on this basis. They are judged righteous on their deeds alone. The likely reason here is because we today are saved by grace through faith. But faith in what? Faith in the belief that Jesus is the Son of God. But when this parable is finally fulfilled, He will now be sitting on His throne displaying Himself to all the earth that He is God, and the time for needing to have "faith" in this will be over. It will now be obvious, and faith in His divinity will no longer be in question.

Does it not demonstrate the importance God ultimately places on our actions where salvation is concerned?

This is the most controversial thread I believe I've ever posted, so I will simply open it for discussion. This will be the first time (and possibly the last, LoL) where I openly share something in public after first seeing it. Usually I sit in something for many months and study it through, but I will simply open the flood gates and see what happens for a change.

Blessings in Christ, and thanks to any who reply
Hidden In Him
 

Lady Crosstalk

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It can be arguably said (as many theologians do), that Matthew is the gospel to the Jews. They see this passage as warning those in the world, that they will be judged on how well they treated Jews who believe in Jesus, and Christians, in the time of the End. There is already a great deal of hostility toward both Jews and Christians and it is growing rapidly among those in the world. Messianic Jews are particularly singled out for persecution--as evidenced by what happened in WWII. Of the estimated 250,000 Messianic Jewish believers sprinkled throughout Europe, prior to the rise of the Nazis, all but a tiny handful were lost to the genocide of the Holocaust. That tiny handful made their way to Israel after the founding of the nation. There are now an estimated 250,000 Messianic Jews in Israel and their numbers are growing rapidly--so much so that they have been promised representation in the Israeli Knesset in the near future.
 
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Hidden In Him

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It can be arguably said (as many theologians do), that Matthew is the gospel to the Jews. They see this passage as warning those in the world, that they will be judged on how they treated Jews and Christians in the time of the End. There is already a great deal of hostility toward both Messianic Jews and Christians and it is growing rapidly among those in the world.

Thanks for the reply, sister. Interesting response...

It would make sense that Matthew is the Gospel to the Jews, since it is now believed to have been written in the early 40's A.D. And I absolutely agree that hostility is growing towards both, and especially towards the Jews.

Thinking about the implications, it reminds me of the Holocaust, and how many helped the Jews at the risk of their own lives. It would appear this parable may be talking about that possibly happening again, on a much larger scale.
 
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ScottA

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HIH, don't speculate as you have. You have it wrong, wrong in the way men of flesh think.

  1. His return in glory is in spirit, this is the glory of the Father: God is spirit.
  2. He sits on His throne already, and has since He went to the Father.
  3. His return began "quickly" two thousand years ago, just as He said, to those who open the door when He knocks. By this He divides the sheep from the goats. Those things which are done to those who have Christ living in them, were and are done to Him.
 

Lady Crosstalk

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Thanks for the reply, sister.

Don't take me as being dogmatic here; rather just responding to your post. But the opening verses seem to contradict that position. The parable opens with:

When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the angels are with Him, then will He sit upon the throne of His glory. And all the nations shall be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (Matthew 25:31-32)

It's not the Jews who are being judged here; it's the nations, i.e. the Gentiles.

Yes. Even though the gospel of Matthew may have Jewish Christians as the target audience, other Jews and Gentiles are being warned. In the Old Testament, the prophets pronounced judgment on the Gentile nations surrounding God's people, but the target audience was God's people.
 

Grailhunter

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It can be arguably said (as many theologians do), that Matthew is the gospel to the Jews. They see this passage as warning those in the world, that they will be judged on how well they treated Jews who believe in Jesus, and Christians, in the time of the End. There is already a great deal of hostility toward both Messianic Jews and Christians and it is growing rapidly among those in the world. Messianic Jews are particularly singled out for persecution--as evidenced by what happened in WWII. Of the estimated 250,000 Messianic Jewish believers sprinkled throughout Europe, prior to the rise of the Nazis, all but a tiny handful were lost to the genocide of the Holocaust. That tiny handful made their way to Israel after the founding of the nation. There are now an estimated 250,000 Messianic Jews in Israel and their numbers are growing rapidly--so much so that they have been promised representation in the Israeli Knesset in the near future.


There is not a lot of people that know that.... @Lady Crosstalk .....be careful....this early in the morning you will make'em spill their coffee.
 

Hidden In Him

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Yes. Even though the gospel of Matthew may have Jewish Christians as the target audience, other Jews and Gentiles are being warned. In the Old Testament, the prophets pronounced judgment on the Gentile nations surrounding God's people, but the target audience was God's people.

LoL! I just noticed that you modified your post while I was modifying mine. We were both thinking the same thing apparently, but mine was mostly my just catching up to what you said in your original post.

Sorry about being a little dim, LoL.
 
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Hidden In Him

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HIH, don't speculate as you have. You have it wrong, wrong in the way men of flesh think.

  1. His return in glory is in spirit, this is the glory of the Father: God is spirit.
  2. He sits on His throne already, and has since He went to the Father.
  3. His return began "quickly" two thousand years ago, just as He said, to those who open the door when He knocks. By this He divides the sheep from the goats. Those things which are done to those who have Christ living in them, were and are done to Him.

I realize you have a heavily spiritualized interpretation of prophecy, Scott. I expected that debates over things like millennialism might also come up, and I had already determined to limit those discussions to the scope of this parable to stay on subject. But I appreciate you laying out your point of view.
 

Hidden In Him

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Since this argument may be presented, let me deal with it ahead of schedule. One website interprets the parable as follows:

"A casual reading seems to suggest that salvation is the result of good works. The 'sheep' acted charitably, giving food, drink, and clothing to the needy. The 'goats' showed no charity. This seems to result in salvation for the sheep and damnation for the goats.

However, Scripture does not contradict itself, and the Bible clearly and repeatedly teaches that salvation is by faith through the grace of God and not by our good works (see John 1:12; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:22-24; Romans 4:4-8; Romans 7:24-25; Romans 8:12; Galatians 3:6-9; and Ephesians 2:8-10).... The good works mentioned in the parable are not the cause of salvation but the effect of salvation."
What is the meaning of the Parable of the Sheep and Goats?

The problem with this argument is as I stated in the OP. These righteous ones would have helped the Lord's brethren during the tribulation, at a time when they were NOT brethren or they would have been taken with Him into Heaven. And when He returns, He does not judge them on the basis of having become His brethren, but on the basis of having helped His brethren when they were not.
 

Lady Crosstalk

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The problem with this argument is as I stated in the OP. These righteous ones would have helped the Lord's brethren during the tribulation, at a time when they were NOT brethren or they would have been taken with Him into Heaven. And when He returns, He does not judge them on the basis of having become His brethren, but on the basis of having helped His brethren when they were not.

During the Tribulation, there will likely be many who come to faith--both Jew and Gentile. I believe this will be a "gleaning" of sorts as I believe that the vast majority of the visible Church, the Bride of Christ, will have been "snatched away" (harpazo) in advance of the Tribulation. The Rapture of the Bride may indeed be the trigger for their conversion. Satanic wrath will be unleashed on those new believers and those who help them will be at risk themselves (as you have pointed out). The "helpers" will be evangelized and be called to faith as well--they will all be the "sheep" and I believe they will also be the "friends of the Bridegroom" at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
 
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Grailhunter

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Since this argument may be presented, let me deal with it ahead of schedule. One website interprets the parable as follows:

"A casual reading seems to suggest that salvation is the result of good works. The 'sheep' acted charitably, giving food, drink, and clothing to the needy. The 'goats' showed no charity. This seems to result in salvation for the sheep and damnation for the goats.

However, Scripture does not contradict itself, and the Bible clearly and repeatedly teaches that salvation is by faith through the grace of God and not by our good works (see John 1:12; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:22-24; Romans 4:4-8; Romans 7:24-25; Romans 8:12; Galatians 3:6-9; and Ephesians 2:8-10).... The good works mentioned in the parable are not the cause of salvation but the effect of salvation."
What is the meaning of the Parable of the Sheep and Goats?

The problem with this argument is as I stated in the OP. These righteous ones would have helped the Lord's brethren during the tribulation, at a time when they were NOT brethren or they would have been taken with Him into Heaven. And when He returns, He does not judge them on the basis of having become His brethren, but on the basis of having helped His brethren when they were not.


It is not contradictory to understand the context. It is a fact that Christ stated His interest in bringing the Jews into the fold. There are times that He is relating to the Jews and the message indirectly relates to the Christians. Paul did this depending on who he was talking to. The story strongly suggests that judgement, for heaven or hell is solely based on if you helped your brother....nothing about sisters. Nothing about belief.
 

marks

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The problem with this argument is as I stated in the OP. These righteous ones would have helped the Lord's brethren during the tribulation, at a time when they were NOT brethren or they would have been taken with Him into Heaven. And when He returns, He does not judge them on the basis of having become His brethren, but on the basis of having helped His brethren when they were not.
Which I think would be their works of obedience in response to the Word of God to them. Perhaps from the 2 witnesses.

Satan will be trying to kill all the Jews, and then, after Jesus puts a stop to it, He sorts everyone out firstly, who is a Jew, these are gathered, then the nations, So, as antichrist was trying to kill them, what did YOU do?

Abraham believed God that he would have children, and that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him. But nothing about Jesus and His death and resurrection.

I think salvation is by faith until Jesus comes, and before that, it's by believing God's message to me. Now, it's about trusting in Jesus. Then, It Seems that it will be about taking care of Israel while everyone else is trying to destroy her.

Much love!
 

Hidden In Him

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During the Tribulation, there will likely be many who come to faith--both Jew and Gentile.

Well, I find it interesting that the parable focuses on the Gentiles, i.e. the nations. I think most of the Jews who are not already converted when the Antichrist turns on the nation of Israel are going to be hunted down and killed, and only after Satan learns that he will not be able to destroy them all will he then turn full force against the Christians (Revelation 12:17). But the Jews will be his main target.
I believe this will be a "gleaning" of sorts as I believe that the vast majority of the visible Church, the Bride of Christ, will have been "snatched away" (harpazo) in advance of the Tribulation.

I knew discussion over the timing of the rapture would likely come up as well. I'm post-trip, pre-wrath, so my position would differ here, but I do think the entire body of Christ that exists at His return will be taken with Him, and then will come the time of God's wrath upon the earth. Most will die, but the parable suggests that many from the nations will survive, and have to be judged one way or the other at the Lord's return. What I find amazing is the basis for this judgment, which appears to be based exclusively on works, though those works will reveal the condition of their hearts towards God.
The Rapture of the Bride may indeed be the trigger for their conversion.

Since I see them as indeed having to live through things after the rapture has taken place, I think you are correct here. Many will know that the gospel was true because of what they witnessed, yet it will still be only those whose hearts are inclined to good who will be willing to believe the truth, and not whatever lies Satan comes up with to explain things away to the world.
 
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Hidden In Him

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It is not contradictory to understand the context. It is a fact that Christ stated His interest in bringing the Jews into the fold. There are times that He is relating to the Jews and the message indirectly relates to the Christians. Paul did this depending on who he was talking to. The story strongly suggests that judgement, for heaven or hell is solely based on if you helped your brother....

Yes. That's what's so shocking. The entire emphasis is on "Did you help My brethren? If so, you helped Me."
...nothing about sisters.

What you got against sisters, LoL.
 

marks

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Since I see them as indeed having to live through things after the rapture has taken place, I think you are correct here. Many will know that the gospel was true because of what they witnessed, yet it will still be only those whose hearts are inclined to good who will be willing to believe the truth, and not whatever lies Satan comes up with to explain things away to the world.
What concerns me about this thought is . . .

2 Thessalonians 2
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

I wonder about this idea that people will see the rapture and be saved, or thoughts like this. It seems to me that anyone who's heard the Gospel and rejected it may not have another opportunity.

Much love!
 

Enoch111

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HIH, don't speculate as you have. You have it wrong, wrong in the way men of flesh think.
His return in glory is in spirit, this is the glory of the Father: God is spirit. He sits on His throne already, and has since He went to the Father.
His return began "quickly" two thousand years ago, just as He said, to those who open the door when He knocks. By this He divides the sheep from the goats. Those things which are done to those who have Christ living in them, were and are done to Him.
And this is wronger than wrong. You are denying the reality of the physical and visible Second Coming of Christ with power and great glory and making Christ a liar. His first coming was about 2,000 years ago. His Second Coming is AFTER the Great Tribulation.

You are quick to say that someone is *in the flesh* and *speculating* when he is properly interpreting Scripture. But what do we call those who make God and Christ liars?
 

Hidden In Him

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I think salvation is by faith until Jesus comes, and before that, it's by believing God's message to me. Now, it's about trusting in Jesus. Then, It Seems that it will be about taking care of Israel while everyone else is trying to destroy her.

I find so many of these responses paint ever-clearer images of the end-times on my mind. I can see a time when what is coming prophetically will be increasingly apparent to everyone on earth. They will KNOW what is destined for the Jews, and will make determinations in their hearts about how they will respond. They will have to ask themselves: "Will I side with the extermination when it comes, or will I harbor and abet the Jews and Christians who are destined for persecution and death?" They will have to make a choice between good and evil, in keeping with what they know from morality and human decency.

And BOY does that bring up another topic of discussion; those who listen to the conscience God created them with, and those who burn it away with a hot iron to silence its voice.
 
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Hidden In Him

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What concerns me about this thought is . . .

2 Thessalonians 2
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

I wonder about this idea that people will see the rapture and be saved, or thoughts like this. It seems to me that anyone who's heard the Gospel and rejected it may not have another opportunity.

Much love!

Well, yes. Those who have already rejected God will receive whatever lie explains away the truth so that they can dismiss it. It's that way today, and it's also what the passage you quoted was talking about. God will send them (and was sending them during New Testament times) spiritual delusions so that they could believe what they wanted to believe. If God allowed only Himself to perform powerful signs and wonders, humanity would be forced to believe in only Him, though in their hearts they would despise Him. So He will make a way for what they truly loved in their hearts to be exposed and revealed for all eternity.
 
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Enoch111

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There is no mention made of these righteous ones "believing on the Lord Jesus Christ," nor are they judged righteous on this basis.
Just because it is not mentioned does not mean that it is absent. Many things are IMPLIED in Scripture.

Here is what is said to the righteous ones: Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

We know that it was Jesus who said that the New Birth is imperative in order to see and enter into the Kingdom of God (John 3:3,5). And we also know from Scripture that it is by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ that sinners are born again (John 1:12,13). So it is implied that these on the right hand believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and had been born again.