THE KING REVEALS THE FUTURE - PART 2 (Matthew 25)

THE KING REVEALS THE FUTURE - PART 2 (Matthew 25)

H. A. IRONSIDE

MATTHEW 25 - WE have here a continuation of the same discourse as that reported in the previous chapter. There are three parables, each designed to present special aspects of truth in connection with the second coming of Christ.

The parable of the ten virgins would seem to apply to the entire period during which the professed people of God are waiting for the fulfillment of the promised return of the Bridegroom. It is definitely a parable of the Kingdom of Heaven, and that in its mystical form, as are all the kingdom parables from chapter 13 on. 

  MATTHEW 25:1-13 - It is well to remember that the word “virgin” means also maiden. Too much should not be made of the former usage here. The ten virgins do not necessarily represent born again people, but those who by profession are in the place of testimony on earth. Of this the lamps speak. Five maidens are wise and five foolish. The wise have the oil of grace to replenish their lamps; the foolish have lamps but no oil. All professedly go forth to meet the Bridegroom, and while He tarries they all slumber and sleep. This answers perfectly to what took place in Christendom, when, in the dark ages, the hope of the Lord’s return was lost sight of, and the whole professing church slept until awakened by the clarion call, when the darkness was deepest, “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him!” Ever since the Reformation this midnight cry has been sounding but becoming ever clearer as the end nears. It is not the coming of the Son of Man that is in view here, but the return of the Bridegroom. 

MATTHEW 25:14-30 - As we consider the second parable we should be careful to distinguish between reward for service and salvation by grace. All who trust in the Lord Jesus are saved, and this altogether apart from human merit. But all who profess to believe in Him are responsible to serve Him and to use whatever gift, ability, or means they have for His glory and to further His interests in this world. There are those who profess to be servants who are not even born of the Spirit. But God holds men accountable for what they know and profess. It is incumbent on all who believe His Word to serve wholeheartedly in view of the day when every one of us shall give an account. In that solemn hour no one will regret having been too much concerned about living for Him, but many will rue the hours spent in selfishness and folly which might have been used for His glory, and talents wasted or hidden away that if properly invested in the light of eternity would have earned Christ’s “Well done.” He will reward all that is in accordance with His Word (1 Corinthians 3:13).

  It was when the master returned that he took account of his servants. And it will be at the return of our Lord Jesus that He will summon His servants to stand before His judgment-seat, not to be condemned for their sins, for that judgment is past (John 5:24), but to render an account of their service. Both for Israel and the Church rewards are to be given out at His coming. See Isaiah 62:11; Revelation 22:12. 

  Throughout this entire section (chapters 22 to 25), which gives us our Lord’s controversy with the Pharisees, Sadducees, and other leaders in Israel, and His great prophecies as to His second advent and the judgment of the nations, one thing stands out crystal-clear: That which counts with God is not slavish adherence to legalistic forms, rites, or ceremonies, but a life controlled by divine love. This is the paramount evidence of the new birth (1 John 3:14), and in the present dispensation is the specific proof that one is indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). It is important that we have a proper understanding of this section of the Gospel of Matthew, viewing it in connection with God’s dealings with His earthly people, the Jewish nation, and with the Gentiles in connection with their attitude toward Israel. On the other hand, we shall lose a great deal for our own souls if we limit it to this dispensational aspect. We need to remember that moral and spiritual realities are the same in all ages, and the love that is here declared to be the fulfillment of all the Law and the Prophets will be manifested in the lives of all “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:4). 

  Love is, therefore, in the truest sense, the law or controlling principle of the new life. It is that perfect law of liberty of which the Epistle of James speaks (1:25). It is so designated because the renewed soul delights to do that which glorifies God and blesses his fellow-men, whether brethren in the faith or belonging to the world that lieth in the wicked one (1 John 5:19, R. V.). The Christian will love the sinner even while he hates his sin. And in this he but manifests the divine nature, for this, too, is God’s attitude toward the world. 

  We show our love for Christ by our concern for His own. This is true in all dispensations, for in every age the new nature which believers receive is the same. Its very first characteristic is love. After the Church has been caught up to meet the Lord in the air a new witness will be raised up on earth. The wise in Israel, enlightened by the Word and sealed as the servants of God, will go to the nations, proclaiming the everlasting gospel. The attitude of the nations toward them will determine their destiny when the King returns and sets up His throne of judgment. 

   “Before Him shall be gathered all nations.” This sessional judgment is to be distinguished from the judgment of the great white throne of Revelation 20, which will not take place on the earth at all, but will be the judgment of the wicked dead. This which is before us here is a judgment of living nations prior to the Millennium. The other—that of the great white throne—is after it ends and the heavens and earth of the present order have vanished away. But this judgment, like the other, is according to works. The sheep are those in whom divine life is manifested by their loving care for those who belong to Christ. The goats are bereft of this, and speak of the unrepentant, who did not respond to Christ’s messengers.

The “right hand” is the place of acceptance: “the left” hand, of rejection. 

  “Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” The kingdom mentioned here is that spoken of in Daniel and other prophetic Books (Daniel 7:13, 14). It is not to be confounded with the heavenly inheritance, but will be set up on this earth at our Lord’s second advent, when He shall be revealed as King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15), and His world-kingdom will supersede all human dominions (Daniel 2:44). 

  “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.” The Lord Jesus ever recognizes anything done for one of His own as done unto Himself (Matthew 10:42; Mark 9:41), and He also considers any harm done to His own as though it were done against Him (Acts 9:4). In its strictest sense, the “brethren” here will be part of a Jewish remnant in the last days, who will be witnesses for God in the dark days of the time of Jacob’s trouble, the great tribulation (Daniel 12:1–3; Jeremiah 30:7). This will be after the Rapture of the Church and prior to the establishment of the kingdom, for that time of trouble ends with the coming of the Son of Man, as we have seen in chap. 24:21, 23, 29, 30. As the King’s messengers go through the world there will be some who receive them and believe their message: these are the sheep. Others will refuse them and spurn their testimony: these are the goats. 

  Christ’s Brethren. While there is a sense in which all believers are brethren of Christ, it is evident that here the term is used in a special sense, for there are three classes of people in view: the sheep, the goats, and those called by the Son of Man “My brethren.” These are those of Israel who are related to Christ, both according to the flesh and the Spirit, and will be His authoritative witnesses in the coming time of tribulation, when the present church age is ended. 

  “These shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” The issues of this judgment are for eternity—either endless punishment or endless life, which is far more than mere prolonged existence. The wicked will be destroyed and go into their awful destiny at once. The righteous will enter into eternal life in the millennial kingdom and then have their portion with Christ through the unending ages that follow the destruction of the present creation. These are the saints of Daniel 7:18, who will enjoy the blessings of Messiah’s glorious reign on the earth. 

   Two Elections. It will help to get the dispensational setting of this parable clear if we notice that there are two different elections in the New Testament. In Ephesians 1:4 we see the Church of this age, which consists of those chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. In this present passage the saved are given a place in the kingdom “prepared … from the foundation of the world” (verse 34). This agrees with Revelation 13:8, where we have the same people in view. One is a heavenly election; the other an earthly election. To confuse these in our thinking is to fail to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).