Romans – God’s Timeline XXXIV: The Judgment of the Nations
Another Preamble because I’m Slow
Welp, it’s come to this. We’ve stressed 188 examples prior to this which would indicate that the words aion and aionios undeniably refer to time, and not to the lack of time, or a “never-ending” time. We have even realized that aion and aionios help give a structural understanding to many of the themes of the Bible, which help us become adjusted to a declaration of God.
If
you have remained with the study this long, then you must recognize the importance
of a study like this. Any Bible student, in considering the
text like this, will find that they are no longer lost in regards to the
timing of a matter. Reading 2 Chronicles? Well, sir, you’re reading from
the middle of the old covenant, dealing with Jewish history in
the fifth administration, while they are under law. Reading 2
Peter? Well, sir, you’re reading from the close of the seventh administration,
in which Israel is being nationally blinded by God for their 21
rejections of the King and His kingdom. Reading Philippians? Well, sir, you’re
reading information for our present secret administration, in which one
has grasped the evangel (compiled for us in Romans,) and seeks mature teachings
for us to learn the depths of God.
Matthew 25
I would like to spend the next two articles finally considering Matthew 25. Most Christians would begin by pointing at this verse to “prove” eternal torment, and is often treated as the final punishment by popular expositors. It is summarized by a popular Christian site as the fourth point of the gospel! Can you imagine?
Let us dispel that claim immediately. We have spent ample time with Romans at this point, and recognize that Rom. 3:21-31 is the true summary of the gospel of God, concerning His Son, not some eternal doom. The various church’s ideas on how critical “eternal torment” is to the gospel is, ironically, heretical to Paul’s evangel. Burning people alive eternally gives no intimation of righteousness on God’s end. In fact, burning people eternally for misdemeanors which they would inevitably cause anyway, by His design, as we studied in Rom. 1:18-32, would be rather unrighteous of Deity. Only Christ’s faith manifests a righteousness of God (Rom. 1:16-17, 3:21-22,) as it both condemns sin and expresses unconditional value for the sinner, mediating a methodology on God’s end to separate the two and deal with both over the rest of the story.
The entire passage concerning Matthew 25’s judgment is from verses 31-46. Let us briefly recap the points of Jesus’ teaching prior to this, as the judgment passage concludes a long, two-chapter breakdown from Jesus to His disciples concerning the sign of Jesus’ presence and the “conclusion of the eon” (Matt. 24:2-3.) Jesus intimates a portion of the seven-year tribulation unfolded in Revelation, including the second seal (compare Matt. 24:4-6 with Rev. 6:3-4,) the third seal (cf. Matt. 24:7 w/ Rev. 6:5-6,) the fifth seal (cf. Matt. 24:9-12 w/ Rev. 6:9-11,) the image of the wild beast (Matt. 24:15-18, Dan. 9:27, Rev. 13:11-14,) the forced worship of the wild beast (Matt. 24:23-25, Rev. 13:15-17,) the sixth seal (cf. Matt. 24:29, Rev. 6:13-17,) and the nature of His return (Matt. 24:43-44, Rev. 16:15.)
The 24th chapter ends with the revelation that the unfaithful Israelites will not be roused at the advent of their kingdom, but at a time which they are not hoping for, to be judged with those they deemed themselves above (Matt. 24:48-51.) Such a time, of course, is Judgment Day, but the 24th chapter is not focused on Judgment Day itself. The focus is on the fact that the unfaithful will miss out on the advent of the kingdom.
This advent kicks off chapter 25.
A figure commences, from verses 1-12–
Then likened shall be the kingdom of the heavens to ten virgins, who,
getting their torches, came out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were
stupid, and five prudent. For the stupid, getting their torches, got no oil
with them, yet the prudent got oil in the crocks with their torches. Now, at
the delaying of the bridegroom, they all nod and drowsed.
Now in the middle of the night, a clamor occurs: “Lo! the bridegroom!
Come out to meet him!” Then roused were all those virgins and they adorn their
torches.
Now the stupid said to the prudent, “Give us of your oil, for our
torches are going out.” Yet the prudent answered, saying, “Now, lest as some
time there should not be sufficient for us and you. Go rather to those who are
selling and buy for yourselves.”
Now, at their coming away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who
are ready entered with him into the wedding festivities, and the door is
locked.
Now subsequently the rest of the virgins also are coming, saying
“Lord! Lord! Open to us!”
Yet he, answering, said, “Verily, I am saying to you, I am not
acquainted with you!”
The key to this figure is given at the start. Kingdoms are in view. Not individuals, at some time of judgment. This should not, as is commonly supposed, be interpreted as “going to heaven,” for the figure does not bear this, nor does it relate to the disciples’ question concerning the conclusion of the eon.
The true meaning of the passage is given clearly when we relate the passage to its Revelation counterpart. Jesus is unmistakably the “Bridegroom” (Rev. 19:9.) Israel is the bride (Rev. 19:7, 21:2, 10.) The virgins are a figure which should be readily apparent to any student of the Old Testament, being the nations who are friends of Israel, called “associates of the bride” by David (Ps. 45:14, figured in Est. 2:2-3, 17.) That these are national dismissals – entire nations being barred from entry with the prudent nations who supported faithful Israel – properly contextualizes this event as one taking place just after the seven-year tribulation, but just before the thousand years of the millennial kingdom commences.
Jesus figures this point twice more in the twenty-fifth chapter. He figures the point in relation to the duties of the faithful Israelite, from verses 13-30, and figures the point in relation to Christ’s authority upon returning in His glory, from verses 31-46. In this, we see before even reading the “judgment” passage of verses 31-46, recognizing the timeline which we have been educated on thus far, that Jesus is fully answering the disciples’ question concerning the conclusion of this third eon. We know that the Day of Judgment itself occurs at the end of the fourth eon – not the third – so these are two separate events in view.
Thus Matthew 25’s judgment scene
relates to the nations at the end of the third eon – not individuals
at the end of the fourth eon. Let us first read the passage
in Matthew 25, properly translated:
Now, whenever the Son of Mankind may be coming in His glory, and all
the holy messengers with Him, then shall He be seated on the throne of His
glory, and in front of Him shall be gathered all the nations. And He
shall be severing them from one another even as a shepherd is severing the
sheep from the kids. And He shall be standing the sheep, indeed, at His right,
yet the kids at the left.
Then shall the King be declaring to those at His right, “Hither,
blessed of My Father! Enjoy the allotment of the kingdom made ready for you
from the disruption of the world. For I hunger and you give Me to eat; I thirst
and you give Me drink; a stranger was I and you took Me in; naked and you
clothed Me; infirm am I and you visit Me; in jail was I and you come to Me.”
Then the just will be answering Him, saying, “Lord, when did we
perceive You hungering and nourish You, or thirsting and we give You drink? Now
when did we perceive You a stranger and took You in, or naked and we clothed
You? Now when did we perceive You infirm, or in jail, and we came to You?”
And, answering, the King shall be declaring to them, “Verily, I am
saying to you, In as much as you do it to one of these, the least of My
brethren, you do it to Me.”
Then shall He be declaring to those also at His left, “Go from Me, you
cursed, into the fire eonian, made ready for the Adversary and his
messengers. For I hunger and you do not give Me to eat; I thirst and you do not
give Me drink; a stranger was I and you did not take Me in; naked and you did
not clothe Me; infirm and in jail and you did not visit Me.”
Then shall they also be answering, saying, “Lord, when did we perceive
you hungering or thirsting, or a stranger, or naked, or infirm, or in jail, and
we did not serve you?”
Then shall He be answering them, saying, “Verily, I am saying to you,
In as much as you do it not to one of these, the least, neither do you it to
Me. And these shall be coming away into chastening eonian, yet the just
into life eonian.
Any who have been closely studying this
scene in relation to what we have learned about judgment so far must admit that
this doesn’t seem to line up with the “Day of Judgment” at all. We can
briefly present five critical points to distinguish between the judgment
scene of Matthew 25 with the Day of Judgment conveyed in Revelation 20:
1.
The timing of this event. Matthew
25 up until this point explains that this event occurs at the coming of the
Son of Mankind in glory, while the Revelation 20 great white throne
judgment clearly occurs after the thousand-year kingdom has taken its
course.
2.
The place where this event occurs.
Matthew 25 subtly contextualizes this event on the earth, using a
terrestrial figure of sheep and kids. It helps, as well, that Joel (3:2)
directly describes the exact location of this event at the Vale of
Jehosophat. In contrast, the great white throne judgment takes place after the destruction
of the second heavens and earth (Rev. 20:9-10.)
3.
The subjects of the judgment
itself. Matthew 25 explicitly explains that entire bodies of nations are
being judged at this time (25:32,) while the great white throne judgment is not
limited to “nations” at all, but all the dead (Rev. 20:12.)
4.
The basis of the judgment. Matthew
25 spends verses 34-45 explaining that this judgment is based entirely on
each nation’s treatment of Israel and Israel’s King throughout
the tribulation period. The great white throne judgment is much broader,
concerning the acts each commits, which must naturally account for the
various mental and physical circumstances for each person, as well as which eon
and administration they lived through.
5.
The result of each judgment, too,
is completely different. In Matthew 25, it is clear that some nations
receive life for the eons, while others are chastened for the eons. The
word chasten has a view of fixing or resolving an issue
through disciplinary measures, enforcing the fact that those of these
nations are going to be corrected, not cast away eternally. If
this were an “eternal” chastening, then the chastening could never be fulfilled,
and neither would God’s grand goal to reconcile all to Himself be
fulfilled. In juxtaposition to this, the result of the great white
throne is correction for the irreverence and injustice each
has inflicted. All will be set right, and for many, the second death will
be their penalty, leaving them to miss the fifth eon on the new earth.
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