THE GENTILE RESURRECTION SECTION?
A pause in the Biblical commentary on rewards and works.
I mention this in opening because I use so many YouTube spots in my blogs.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/03/gunshots-heard-outside-youtube-office-california/
News of the day: a mad shooter at YouTube headquarters:
Harriet Alexander, new york Nick Allen, washington dc
4 APRIL 2018 • 7:10AM
The father of the woman identified as the YouTube HQ shooter said he had warned police she might be headed to the video-sharing site's offices because she "hated" the company.
Nasim Aghdam, 39, of Southern California, was identified by US media as the woman who approached the Silicon Valley campus around lunchtime on Tuesday and began to fire before entering the building of the Google-owned video sharing service.
One man and two women were shot in the incident before the female shooter apparently committed suicide.
The NRA can now claim that their efforts to reach woman buyers are succeeding. But the other bothersome thing is this: start a search and type in "gunman shoots up" and ten different categories appear. Google has so many choices you wonder if maybe some of the maniacs with guns are trying to come up with new ones.
What we talked about the last few blogs is Jesus coming back with no warning. But life can end with no warning either. In the USA, any fool can get their hands on a weapon and decide as the shooter in the Steve Martin movie The Jerk to pick a name out of the phone book and kill someone "typical" and "run-of-the-mill". (I resaw the clip from the movie and the swearing was so awful I didn't post it.) We can be taken by someone's seeming whim at any time. Being ready becomes all the more vital.
Meanwhile, I hate to think I may be right about an Ice Age, but the arrival of winter weather in early April, (a couple inches of snow: below freezing temps) reminds me of the certain to be hit Michigan cherry crops and of other planting season items that will have to wait and may be too late in producing..
Which brings to mind this YouTube song and the tragedy and the New Age mythology that odd mix of US mix up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc3OnSQc48s
Ghosts on a ghost horse. The romance of the doomed. Hardly romantic if they end up as some in the parable below because they believed the myths.
And the USA may be headed into that frontier battle just for food as most of the entire planet already is.
Then again we have this:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trump-administration-targets-chinese-electronics-aerospace-and-machinery-goods-with-50-billion-in-tariffs/2018/04/03/9be42e5e-3786-11e8-9c0a-85d477d9a226_story.html?utm_term=.87cf291a4e4e
David J. Lynch April 3 at 5:46 PM
The Trump administration Tuesday unveiled a list of about $50 billion in Chinese electronics, aerospace and machinery products it plans to hit with steep tariffs, the latest move in a deepening U.S.-China trade conflict.
The new 25 percent import taxes are designed to penalize China for discriminatory policies that the United States says put its companies at a disadvantage in the Chinese market. President Trump has complained that the Chinese government forces U.S. companies to surrender their proprietary technology in return for access to local customers and steals other trade secrets via cybertheft.
Trump’s latest protectionist move threatens to upend global supply chains for corporations such as Apple and Dell, raise prices for American consumers who have grown accustomed to inexpensive electronics and aggravate tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
(Note: the computer giants did not support Trump in his election attempts.)
(As I publish this, the President has threatened to double to tariffs. Grash the econiomy twice as fast I guess.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/business/china-us-tariffs.html
Note: US farmers by and large went Republican. Taking a page from Nixon's playbook, Trump did the Republican thing and sent his Secretary of Agriculture to do some handshaking and baby kissing and telling everyone Hillary-would-have-been-worse in the Midwest states. But if enough of them do go broke and don't get the usual government handouts that keep them going because the Republicans won't raise taxes to help them, their nother companies will fold the operations and then starvation becomes a very real spectre. Especially if tariffs on food IMPORTS result from the rash President's action. No starvation for the rich, but then Trump's policies could easily be seen as ones very like the gentiles below who wouldn't feed the starving.
Recall how Mao's demand to centralize food stores resulted in all manner or graft and starvation? This country already has the graft in place and our food stores are already generally centralized. Control of the food makes it easier to control the population.
The offshoot of this is that Trump helps Putin by keeping Putin's two largest foes at each other's throats and not thinking of Putin while he aids Turkey and Syria in killing off the Kurds. This will stop his Middle Eastern army from having to fight on two fronts when they invade Israel. This is what happens when you have a man with no knowledge of the Bible running a country and the ones who do have that knowledge are paying attention to all the wrong things.
On a larger scale, God's Word to the world is sending messages through MSN, which MSN likely doesn't know. And the Word about earthquakes in the judgements is acting on the Earth:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/wonder/recent-crack-spurs-speculation-that-africa-will-split-into-two-in-future/vi-AAviAEO?ocid=spartandhp
And, about the moon, in space:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/wonder/what-living-on-earth-would-be-like-without-the-moon/vi-BBKMGOE?ocid=spartandhp
These will be discussed in following weeks.
After that reminder of what's ahead:
The Lord was talking to Christians and believing Jews about those who would miss the Rapture and those He would take with Him. For the ones lost forever I can think of this song, meant to be about those lost to death. But I am thinking of it about those lost forever to Death and eternity. I can't help it. The loss of those forever brings tears, makes me understand why folks like Rob Bell don't want to believe in both a loving God and people in Hell, makes me know the depth of Jesus' warning to stay true.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU482x7tJPM
Then I think of the end of this text and the ones who have no idea about their behavior, about its consequences.
https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Matt/Division-Sheep-Goats
MATTHEW 25 - IVP NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARIES
Resources » Commentaries » Matthew » Chapter 25 » exegesis
The Division of the Sheep and the Goats
This final parable in Jesus' final sermon in Matthew brings home the reality of judgment. As the missionaries from Matthew's churches spread the good news of the kingdom both among fellow Jews and among Gentiles, they faced hostility as well as welcome. This parable brings together some themes from the rest of the Gospel: Christ, like the kingdom, had been present in a hidden way (compare chap. 13), and one's response to his agents represented one's response to him (chap. 10).
Jesus is the judge on the day of judgment. The parable assumes Jesus' deity. Whereas others sometimes fill the role of final judge in Jewish tradition , the central Biblical and Jewish role of final judge that Jesus here assumes normally belongs to God himself . As noted earlier, the king in rabbinic parables is nearly always God. Likewise, coming with all the angels (Mt 25:31;
Mt 13:41 The Son of man will send out his angels, and they will take out of his kingdom everything which is a cause of error, and all those who do wrong,
42 And will put them into the fire; there will be weeping and cries of sorrow.
(BBE)
Mt 16:27 For the Son of man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he will give to every man the reward of his works.
(BBE)
And Paul:
2Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus comes from heaven with the angels of his power in flames of fire,
8 To give punishment to those who have no knowledge of God, and to those who do not give ear to the good news of our Lord Jesus:
9 Whose reward will be eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his strength,
10 At his coming, when he will have glory in his saints, and will be a cause of wonder in all those who had faith (because our witness among you had effect) in that day.
11 For this reason, you are ever in our prayers, that you may seem to our God such as may have a part in his purpose and that by his power he will make all his good purpose, and the work of faith, complete;
12 So that glory may be given to the name of our Lord Jesus through you, and you may have glory in him, by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
(BBE)
alludes to various versions of Zechariah 14:5 , where God is in view.
Zec 14:5 And the valley will be stopped...and you will go in flight as you went in flight from the earth-shock in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah: and the Lord my God will come, and all his holy ones with him.
(BBE)
Further, Jesus' claim that whatever others have done to his servants they have done to him fits a rabbinic perspective about God
Finally, although shepherds could represent Moses, David and others in biblical and Jewish tradition, the chief shepherd remained God himself (as in Ps 23:1-4; 74:1-2; Is 40:11; Ezek 34:11-17; Zech 10:3). Jesus is both judge and the focus of the final judgment, spelling disaster to those who ignored him on this side of that day.
The nations will be judged according to how they respond to the gospel and its messengers. The nations or "Gentiles" in Jewish literature would be judged according to how they treated Israel (4 Ezra 7:37). As in other parables, here they are gathered (; Is 2:4; Rev 16:16) and separated (Mt 13:30, 49), in this instance the way a shepherd would separate sheep from goats (compare Ezek 34:17), to keep the goats warm at night while keeping the sheep in open air as they preferred. Sheep cost more than goats and because of their greater utility and value were nearly always more numerous on a farm .
The older dispensational scheme viewed this passage as the judgment of the nations based on their treatment of Israel. This suggestion could fit Jewish perceptions of the judgment. But this suggestion does not fit well Jesus' own designation of his brothers in the Gospels elsewhere (Mt 12:50; 28:10; see below). Because the passage explicitly declares that this judgment determines people's eternal destinies (25:46), it cannot refer to a judgment concerning who will enter the millennium, as in some older dispensational schemes.
Nor is the popular view that this text refers to treatment of the poor or those in need exegetically compelling, although on other grounds it would be entirely consonant with the Jesus tradition (such as Mk 10:21; Lk 16:19-25) and biblical ethics as a whole (for example, Ex 22:22-27; Prov 19:17; 21:13). Jewish lists of loving works include showing hospitality and visiting the sick, though not visiting prisoners; such acts were found praiseworthy in the day of judgment.
In the context of Jesus' teachings, especially in the context of Matthew (as opposed to Luke), this parable addresses not serving all the poor but receiving the gospel's messengers. Elsewhere in Matthew, disciples are Jesus' brothers (12:50; 28:10; compare also the least--5:19; 11:11; 18:3-6, 10-14). Likewise, one treats Jesus as one treats his representatives (10:40-42), who should be received with hospitality, food and drink (10:8-13, 42). Imprisonment could refer to detention until trial before magistrates (10:18-19), and sickness to physical conditions brought on by the hardship of the mission (compare Phil 2:27-30; perhaps Gal 4:13-14; 2 Tim 4:20). Being poorly clothed appears in Pauline lists of sufferings (Rom 8:35), including specifically apostolic sufferings (1 Cor 4:11). The King thus judges the nations based on how they have responded to the gospel of the kingdom already preached to them before the time of his kingdom (Mt 24:14; 28:19-20). The passage thus also implies that true messengers of the gospel will successfully evangelize the world only if they can also embrace poverty and suffering for Christ's name.
The stakes involved in our witness are eternal. The horrifying conclusion (25:46) is the damnation of people who did not actively embrace messengers of the gospel but nevertheless were oblivious to how they had offended God. The goats thus depart (7:23) into eternal fire (the worst possible conception of hell;), but tragically, God had not originally created them for the fire or the fire for them ( Ezra 8:59-60). Rather, it had been prepared (compare Mt 25:34) by God for the devil and his angels (compare 2 Pet 2:4).
We too must "receive" one another with grace. In the context of the surrounding parables, welcoming Christ's messengers probably involves more than only initially embracing the message of the kingdom: it means treating one's fellow servants properly (24:45-49). Unless we "receive" one another in God's household, we in some way reject Christ whose representatives our fellow disciples are (18:5-6, 28-29). Paul likewise reminds the Corinthians that to be reconciled to him is to be reconciled to God himself (2 Cor 5:11--7:1).
2Co 5:11 Having in mind, then, the fear of the Lord, we put these things before men, but God sees our hearts; and it is my hope that we may seem right in your eyes.
12 We are not again requesting your approval, but we are giving you the chance of taking pride in us, so that you may be able to give an answer to those whose glory is in seeming, and not in the heart.
13 For if we are foolish, it is to God; or if we are serious, it is for you.
14 For it is the love of Christ which is moving us; because we are of the opinion that if one was put to death for all, then all have undergone death;
15 And that he underwent death for all, so that the living might no longer be living to themselves, but to him who underwent death for them and came back from the dead.
16 For this reason, from this time forward we have knowledge of no man after the flesh: even if we have had knowledge of Christ after the flesh, we have no longer any such knowledge.
17 So if any man is in Christ, he is in a new world: the old things have come to an end; they have truly become new.
18 But all things are of God, who has made us at peace with himself through Christ, and has given to us the work of making peace;
(BBE)
I am not fond of academics and so I took the privilege as writer to excise some scholarly references in the text to shorten it. There were also references to the Book of Enoch which is not in the Bible and so remains questionable as a source. That said, I believe the writer took a very logical path and arrived at an accurate conclusion about the lesson of the text. Up to a point.
Here's another take:
https://www.theologyofwork.org/new-testament/matthew/living-in-the-new-kingdom-matthew-18-25/sheep-and-goats-matthew-2531-46
Jesus’ final teaching in this section examines how we treat those in need. In this account, when Jesus returns in his glory, he will sit on his throne and separate people “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matt. 25:32). The separation depends on how we treat people in need. To the sheep he says,
Come, you that are blessed by 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 something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. (Matt. 25:34-36)
These are all people in need, whom the sheep served, for Jesus says, “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matt. 25:40). To the goats, he says,
Depart from me...for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me... Just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. (Matt. 25:41-43, 45)
Individually and corporately, we are called to help those in need. We are “bound in the bundle of the living under the care of the Lord your God” (1 Samuel 25:29),
1Sa 25:29 Yet a man has risen to pursue you and to seek your soul. But the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD your God. And the souls of your enemies, He shall sling them from the hollow of a sling.
(MKJV)
(Note: For this section I would have prefered:
1Sa 25:31(b) and when the Lord has been good to you, then give a thought to your servant.
(BBE)
and we cannot ignore the plight of human beings suffering hunger, thirst, nakedness, homelessness, sickness, or imprisonment. We work in order to meet our own needs and the needs of those dependent on us; but we also work in order to have something to give to those in need (Hebrews 13:1-3).
Heb 13:1 Go on loving your brothers in the faith.
2 Take care to keep open house: because in this way some have had angels as their guests, without being conscious of it.
3 Keep in mind those who are in chains, as if you were chained with them, and those who are in trouble, as being yourselves in the body.
(BBE)
We join with others to find ways to come alongside those who lack the basic necessities of life that we may take for granted. If Jesus’ words in this passage are taken seriously, more may hang on our charity than we realize.
Jesus does not say exactly how the sheep served people in need. It may have been through gifts and charitable work. But perhaps some of it was through the ordinary work of growing and preparing food and drink; helping new co-workers come up to speed on the job; designing, manufacturing, and selling clothing. All legitimate work serves people who need the products and services of the work, and in so doing, serves Jesus.
While I think that last paragraph certainly applies, I find myself thinking of the Puritan Ethic which values work so much and the American Way that became it's USA reflection. I would say that we serve God and thus since we serve Him, we act in obedience to our bosses at work and do the job as precisely as possible for the good of the company and to honor our Lord by reflecting Him before them. I would suggest that many companies today have lost the notion of serving the public so the legitimate work is sometimes not seen as a service but as a hassle or a waste. I see people who are on their phones at break, between breaks walking down the aisles, hiding behind machines that are running, standing next to other people also on their phones. The way we actually DO the job is the service as much as the production of the product. The way is as much the testimony as the act. The place of the worker's heart matters much more than the product, That has been made abundantly clear by the parable of the servant just before who didn't do act on the money given because of his fear.
Almost universally, this is seen as a reference to those who don't know Christ and haven't heard of Him. Their judgement is totally on their works, not if they have accepted Him as Savior. This is also clearly after Jesus returns TO Earth, not after the "thief in the night" Rapture. But also not after his return to the heavens. This separation of rewards and judgements tends to also prove the Rapture as a separate event in the Second Coming. But this particular judgement is uniquely placed and that makes it seem to me to be a very special one.
Three previous texts dealt with those who were forced to face the Tribulation because they had let Him down. They had fallen back to old habits, they had not nurtured the Spirit or they had done nothing with the gifts they were given to enlarge the Kingdom to come.
Now, Jesus has just returned to Earth; He has taken his throne in Jerusalem. That is clearly the statement in this verse:
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
He has called surviving humanity to the city. Perhaps he has simply transported them there. He has separated those who did good things for his "brothers", defined as those who were saved during the Tribulation, and those who did bad things, not hiding the hunted. the Ann Frank's of the era, not feeding them in their starvation with no Mark, not giving them clothing to stay warmer in their homeless state. These were acts done during the Tribulation for those fleeing in terror for their lives. At this point, Jesus judges those left behind by the ravages of war and the other Judgements of that particular time. That doesn't mean it is not a standard for all time, but it is THE standard here because the Tribulation was a special time when people were being told over and over about Jesus, by the Two, by the 144,000, by the three angels, by the trials and judgements. The acts of those in that time, IN THE TRIBULATION, are the damning acts for the Millennial Judgment and the good acts that usher the then-living (Do you see that these are NOT the Resurrected, that the Resurrection is not mentioned, is not complete until the Millennial Kingdom has ended?) into that Kingdom. When the Tribulation ends, both these "good" and "bad" will still be alive. Despite that disaster after disaster, some will live, and it is THEY who he sorts out here. This is best indicated by:
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
This is clearly a "worldly kingdom." Not one at the end of the universe in the Great White Throne Judgement which I have often thought reading it out of context. It is the Beginning of His Earthly reign. Those left who could not enter Heaven because they had no works now witness those who enter the Millennium because of works.
I wonder how many of those who previously failed make it into that Kingdom.
Please note this hardly exempts us from realizing that OUR WORKS DO COUNT! Clearly the previous parables are about just that. That they go as a crown on our heads. The reason why is made clear by David Ruis
“Over and over in the book of Revelation, we see the elders throwing down their crowns, bowing low before their God (see Rev. 4:9-11). The original language is clear. It is voluntary. This is not a reaction to being overwhelmed by His glory or overcome by something external. The elders are moved by the revelation of who it is they stand before, and by a deliberate act of the will they bow.”
― David Ruis, The Worship God Is Seeking
When believers do no works led by the Spirit, they have no crown to lay before the King.
We have right living to pursue. And the worship of active Christianity.
Let me include a deeper discussion by someone who agrees with me on this:
http://idahobaptist.com/the-judgment-of-the-nations-matthew-2531-46/
"Most of the primary lessons of these two chapters have been about Israel, but this is clearly different. The word “nations” – “ethnos” – is never used about Israel – it’s always other nations – Gentile nations. As I understand it, when Christ, Israel’s the Messiah, finally returns, the Tribulation, the preaching of the witnesses and the 144,000, and the centuries of scriptural studies will have accomplished their perfect work, and every Jewish heart still alive will see and believe that this Son of Man is their Messiah. I believe that there is reason to say that every Israelite adult left alive at that time will become a believer. THIS judgment doesn’t apply to them – there is no reason to apply this judgment to them. This is the judgment of the Gentile nations."
...
After billions have died in the plagues and judgments of the Tribulation, the millions remaining will stand before Christ to be judged – as individuals.
It appears to me that what Joel says in chapter 3:1-2 is essentially what Christ is talking about here. “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.” It will not be a problem for the Lord and His army of angels to gather the elect of Israel and bring them to the Promised Land. And similarly, it will not be a problem for God to round up the rest of humanity as well.
And where will everyone be assembled? Joel is the only scripture which speaks about “the valley of Jehoshaphat,” so no one knows exactly where it is. But one interesting explanation is that this will be the valley created when the Lord steps on the Mount of Olives and creates a valley spreading to the east of Jerusalem. And when Joel says that God “will plead with them” this isn’t about begging or making requests. That Hebrew word is translated “to judge” ten times as often as it is “to plead
But doesn’t Matthew 25 suggest that the salvation of these people entering that kingdom was based on their treatment of the Jews? No it doesn’t. “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: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we do these things? “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
During the Tribulation, God will call, commission and empower thousands of special ambassadors. There will be twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. They will be scattered throughout the world, from Siberia to the Sudan, from the Kalahari to California. Their ministry will be to explain the causes and effects of those terrible judgments. Their message will be the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ which we preach today. The people who enter the glories of the Lord’s future kingdom will be those who have “received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.” And their faith will have been proved by their affinity to those “brethren” of Christ who were spreading the truth at the great risk of their lives. They will not have been saved by their service to God’s saints, but like Rahab in Jericho, they will have been saved by faith, which was proved by protecting the Lord’s ambassadors.
...
“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.” Those who have received the message of repentance and grace – will enter the kingdom. They will enter the Millennial Kingdom which after a thousand years will be transformed into the Lord’s eternal Kingdom. These people who were humbled by the trials of the tribulation, and by the preaching of the gospel, will be saved by God’s grace. And notice that God’s grace is dispensed through sovereign election – “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” The name of each and every one of these people will have been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life since before the beginning of time. The Lord knows those who are His even during the darkest days of tribulation.
Something else which the Bible student should easily see is Jesus’ connection with John 10. “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” “And other sheep I have, which are not of this (Israelite) fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.” “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” “But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.”
What shall be the end of those who received not the message of God’s witnesses? “Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” There could very well be people among us this evening, who will be judged at the time of which these verses speak. If that is the case, then there will be no room for your escape. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.”
When we get beyond the Tribulation events, we will discuss the Millennium in some detail, but let me disagree a bit about that Millennial fate, that being invited into that Earthly kingdom is somehow an assurance of eternal life. It is only an invite to the possibility if eternal life. Still it is vastly better than the certain fate of the unkind.
And and afterthought:
"Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it."
The Scarlet Witch, Age of Ultron
"There were more than a dozen extinction level events before even the dinosaurs got theirs. When the Earth starts to "settle" God throws a stone at it and, believe me, He's winding up."
Ultron, The Age of Ultron
Thor: Stark is right.
Bruce Banner: OH, it's definitely the End Times.
In that movie, Ultron is Satan. Humans defeat him even as they wonder if they are actually monsters instead of heroes. The answer is , as always, both.
We can all throw a dart at the board and sometimes we hit it, even if we don't quite understand what we hit or the actual shape of the dartboard. Marvel has always been creating antichrists by killing their heroes and bringing them back. Black Panther was merely the latest, most successful example. They have always been preparing the way for THE Antichrist. The New Age, as Ultron says of the Vision, is "unbearably naive."
But behind all the pain and quiet or loud effort, out there, beyond the Millennial event horizon, lies home. Don't miss it. That has been the warning here for Jew, Gentile and Christian. Please! Don't miss it.
A pause in the Biblical commentary on rewards and works.
I mention this in opening because I use so many YouTube spots in my blogs.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/03/gunshots-heard-outside-youtube-office-california/
News of the day: a mad shooter at YouTube headquarters:
Harriet Alexander, new york Nick Allen, washington dc
4 APRIL 2018 • 7:10AM
The father of the woman identified as the YouTube HQ shooter said he had warned police she might be headed to the video-sharing site's offices because she "hated" the company.
Nasim Aghdam, 39, of Southern California, was identified by US media as the woman who approached the Silicon Valley campus around lunchtime on Tuesday and began to fire before entering the building of the Google-owned video sharing service.
One man and two women were shot in the incident before the female shooter apparently committed suicide.
The NRA can now claim that their efforts to reach woman buyers are succeeding. But the other bothersome thing is this: start a search and type in "gunman shoots up" and ten different categories appear. Google has so many choices you wonder if maybe some of the maniacs with guns are trying to come up with new ones.
What we talked about the last few blogs is Jesus coming back with no warning. But life can end with no warning either. In the USA, any fool can get their hands on a weapon and decide as the shooter in the Steve Martin movie The Jerk to pick a name out of the phone book and kill someone "typical" and "run-of-the-mill". (I resaw the clip from the movie and the swearing was so awful I didn't post it.) We can be taken by someone's seeming whim at any time. Being ready becomes all the more vital.
Meanwhile, I hate to think I may be right about an Ice Age, but the arrival of winter weather in early April, (a couple inches of snow: below freezing temps) reminds me of the certain to be hit Michigan cherry crops and of other planting season items that will have to wait and may be too late in producing..
Which brings to mind this YouTube song and the tragedy and the New Age mythology that odd mix of US mix up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc3OnSQc48s
Ghosts on a ghost horse. The romance of the doomed. Hardly romantic if they end up as some in the parable below because they believed the myths.
And the USA may be headed into that frontier battle just for food as most of the entire planet already is.
Then again we have this:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trump-administration-targets-chinese-electronics-aerospace-and-machinery-goods-with-50-billion-in-tariffs/2018/04/03/9be42e5e-3786-11e8-9c0a-85d477d9a226_story.html?utm_term=.87cf291a4e4e
David J. Lynch April 3 at 5:46 PM
The Trump administration Tuesday unveiled a list of about $50 billion in Chinese electronics, aerospace and machinery products it plans to hit with steep tariffs, the latest move in a deepening U.S.-China trade conflict.
The new 25 percent import taxes are designed to penalize China for discriminatory policies that the United States says put its companies at a disadvantage in the Chinese market. President Trump has complained that the Chinese government forces U.S. companies to surrender their proprietary technology in return for access to local customers and steals other trade secrets via cybertheft.
Trump’s latest protectionist move threatens to upend global supply chains for corporations such as Apple and Dell, raise prices for American consumers who have grown accustomed to inexpensive electronics and aggravate tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
(Note: the computer giants did not support Trump in his election attempts.)
(As I publish this, the President has threatened to double to tariffs. Grash the econiomy twice as fast I guess.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/business/china-us-tariffs.html
SHANGHAI — China hit back at the United States on Wednesday with proposed tariffs on American soybeans, cars, chemicals and other goods, in a move likely to spark fears that the countries’ escalating confrontation could become an all-out trade war.
Moving with unusual speed, Chinese officials outlined plans to make it more costly to import 106 categories of American goods into China. The move came just hours after the Trump administration detailed its plan to impose tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese-made steel, aircraft parts, televisions and other products.
China’s new tariffs will amount to 25 percent on the American products. While Beijing did not immediately specify the value of the American goods that would be affected, government officials have said it would be roughly equal to the tariffs the Trump administration detailed on Tuesday.
The American products come largely from Republican-dominated states, where lawmakers might be expected to have some influence with President Trump and could persuade him to back down from his latest trade demands.
Note: US farmers by and large went Republican. Taking a page from Nixon's playbook, Trump did the Republican thing and sent his Secretary of Agriculture to do some handshaking and baby kissing and telling everyone Hillary-would-have-been-worse in the Midwest states. But if enough of them do go broke and don't get the usual government handouts that keep them going because the Republicans won't raise taxes to help them, their nother companies will fold the operations and then starvation becomes a very real spectre. Especially if tariffs on food IMPORTS result from the rash President's action. No starvation for the rich, but then Trump's policies could easily be seen as ones very like the gentiles below who wouldn't feed the starving.
Recall how Mao's demand to centralize food stores resulted in all manner or graft and starvation? This country already has the graft in place and our food stores are already generally centralized. Control of the food makes it easier to control the population.
The offshoot of this is that Trump helps Putin by keeping Putin's two largest foes at each other's throats and not thinking of Putin while he aids Turkey and Syria in killing off the Kurds. This will stop his Middle Eastern army from having to fight on two fronts when they invade Israel. This is what happens when you have a man with no knowledge of the Bible running a country and the ones who do have that knowledge are paying attention to all the wrong things.
On a larger scale, God's Word to the world is sending messages through MSN, which MSN likely doesn't know. And the Word about earthquakes in the judgements is acting on the Earth:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/wonder/recent-crack-spurs-speculation-that-africa-will-split-into-two-in-future/vi-AAviAEO?ocid=spartandhp
And, about the moon, in space:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/wonder/what-living-on-earth-would-be-like-without-the-moon/vi-BBKMGOE?ocid=spartandhp
These will be discussed in following weeks.
After that reminder of what's ahead:
The Lord was talking to Christians and believing Jews about those who would miss the Rapture and those He would take with Him. For the ones lost forever I can think of this song, meant to be about those lost to death. But I am thinking of it about those lost forever to Death and eternity. I can't help it. The loss of those forever brings tears, makes me understand why folks like Rob Bell don't want to believe in both a loving God and people in Hell, makes me know the depth of Jesus' warning to stay true.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU482x7tJPM
Then I think of the end of this text and the ones who have no idea about their behavior, about its consequences.
The Judgment
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 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, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not [e]take care of You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Matt/Division-Sheep-Goats
MATTHEW 25 - IVP NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARIES
Resources » Commentaries » Matthew » Chapter 25 » exegesis
The Division of the Sheep and the Goats
This final parable in Jesus' final sermon in Matthew brings home the reality of judgment. As the missionaries from Matthew's churches spread the good news of the kingdom both among fellow Jews and among Gentiles, they faced hostility as well as welcome. This parable brings together some themes from the rest of the Gospel: Christ, like the kingdom, had been present in a hidden way (compare chap. 13), and one's response to his agents represented one's response to him (chap. 10).
Jesus is the judge on the day of judgment. The parable assumes Jesus' deity. Whereas others sometimes fill the role of final judge in Jewish tradition , the central Biblical and Jewish role of final judge that Jesus here assumes normally belongs to God himself . As noted earlier, the king in rabbinic parables is nearly always God. Likewise, coming with all the angels (Mt 25:31;
Mt 13:41 The Son of man will send out his angels, and they will take out of his kingdom everything which is a cause of error, and all those who do wrong,
42 And will put them into the fire; there will be weeping and cries of sorrow.
(BBE)
Mt 16:27 For the Son of man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he will give to every man the reward of his works.
(BBE)
And Paul:
2Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus comes from heaven with the angels of his power in flames of fire,
8 To give punishment to those who have no knowledge of God, and to those who do not give ear to the good news of our Lord Jesus:
9 Whose reward will be eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his strength,
10 At his coming, when he will have glory in his saints, and will be a cause of wonder in all those who had faith (because our witness among you had effect) in that day.
11 For this reason, you are ever in our prayers, that you may seem to our God such as may have a part in his purpose and that by his power he will make all his good purpose, and the work of faith, complete;
12 So that glory may be given to the name of our Lord Jesus through you, and you may have glory in him, by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
(BBE)
alludes to various versions of Zechariah 14:5 , where God is in view.
Zec 14:5 And the valley will be stopped...and you will go in flight as you went in flight from the earth-shock in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah: and the Lord my God will come, and all his holy ones with him.
(BBE)
Further, Jesus' claim that whatever others have done to his servants they have done to him fits a rabbinic perspective about God
Finally, although shepherds could represent Moses, David and others in biblical and Jewish tradition, the chief shepherd remained God himself (as in Ps 23:1-4; 74:1-2; Is 40:11; Ezek 34:11-17; Zech 10:3). Jesus is both judge and the focus of the final judgment, spelling disaster to those who ignored him on this side of that day.
The nations will be judged according to how they respond to the gospel and its messengers. The nations or "Gentiles" in Jewish literature would be judged according to how they treated Israel (4 Ezra 7:37). As in other parables, here they are gathered (; Is 2:4; Rev 16:16) and separated (Mt 13:30, 49), in this instance the way a shepherd would separate sheep from goats (compare Ezek 34:17), to keep the goats warm at night while keeping the sheep in open air as they preferred. Sheep cost more than goats and because of their greater utility and value were nearly always more numerous on a farm .
The older dispensational scheme viewed this passage as the judgment of the nations based on their treatment of Israel. This suggestion could fit Jewish perceptions of the judgment. But this suggestion does not fit well Jesus' own designation of his brothers in the Gospels elsewhere (Mt 12:50; 28:10; see below). Because the passage explicitly declares that this judgment determines people's eternal destinies (25:46), it cannot refer to a judgment concerning who will enter the millennium, as in some older dispensational schemes.
Nor is the popular view that this text refers to treatment of the poor or those in need exegetically compelling, although on other grounds it would be entirely consonant with the Jesus tradition (such as Mk 10:21; Lk 16:19-25) and biblical ethics as a whole (for example, Ex 22:22-27; Prov 19:17; 21:13). Jewish lists of loving works include showing hospitality and visiting the sick, though not visiting prisoners; such acts were found praiseworthy in the day of judgment.
In the context of Jesus' teachings, especially in the context of Matthew (as opposed to Luke), this parable addresses not serving all the poor but receiving the gospel's messengers. Elsewhere in Matthew, disciples are Jesus' brothers (12:50; 28:10; compare also the least--5:19; 11:11; 18:3-6, 10-14). Likewise, one treats Jesus as one treats his representatives (10:40-42), who should be received with hospitality, food and drink (10:8-13, 42). Imprisonment could refer to detention until trial before magistrates (10:18-19), and sickness to physical conditions brought on by the hardship of the mission (compare Phil 2:27-30; perhaps Gal 4:13-14; 2 Tim 4:20). Being poorly clothed appears in Pauline lists of sufferings (Rom 8:35), including specifically apostolic sufferings (1 Cor 4:11). The King thus judges the nations based on how they have responded to the gospel of the kingdom already preached to them before the time of his kingdom (Mt 24:14; 28:19-20). The passage thus also implies that true messengers of the gospel will successfully evangelize the world only if they can also embrace poverty and suffering for Christ's name.
The stakes involved in our witness are eternal. The horrifying conclusion (25:46) is the damnation of people who did not actively embrace messengers of the gospel but nevertheless were oblivious to how they had offended God. The goats thus depart (7:23) into eternal fire (the worst possible conception of hell;), but tragically, God had not originally created them for the fire or the fire for them ( Ezra 8:59-60). Rather, it had been prepared (compare Mt 25:34) by God for the devil and his angels (compare 2 Pet 2:4).
We too must "receive" one another with grace. In the context of the surrounding parables, welcoming Christ's messengers probably involves more than only initially embracing the message of the kingdom: it means treating one's fellow servants properly (24:45-49). Unless we "receive" one another in God's household, we in some way reject Christ whose representatives our fellow disciples are (18:5-6, 28-29). Paul likewise reminds the Corinthians that to be reconciled to him is to be reconciled to God himself (2 Cor 5:11--7:1).
2Co 5:11 Having in mind, then, the fear of the Lord, we put these things before men, but God sees our hearts; and it is my hope that we may seem right in your eyes.
12 We are not again requesting your approval, but we are giving you the chance of taking pride in us, so that you may be able to give an answer to those whose glory is in seeming, and not in the heart.
13 For if we are foolish, it is to God; or if we are serious, it is for you.
14 For it is the love of Christ which is moving us; because we are of the opinion that if one was put to death for all, then all have undergone death;
15 And that he underwent death for all, so that the living might no longer be living to themselves, but to him who underwent death for them and came back from the dead.
16 For this reason, from this time forward we have knowledge of no man after the flesh: even if we have had knowledge of Christ after the flesh, we have no longer any such knowledge.
17 So if any man is in Christ, he is in a new world: the old things have come to an end; they have truly become new.
18 But all things are of God, who has made us at peace with himself through Christ, and has given to us the work of making peace;
(BBE)
I am not fond of academics and so I took the privilege as writer to excise some scholarly references in the text to shorten it. There were also references to the Book of Enoch which is not in the Bible and so remains questionable as a source. That said, I believe the writer took a very logical path and arrived at an accurate conclusion about the lesson of the text. Up to a point.
Here's another take:
https://www.theologyofwork.org/new-testament/matthew/living-in-the-new-kingdom-matthew-18-25/sheep-and-goats-matthew-2531-46
Jesus’ final teaching in this section examines how we treat those in need. In this account, when Jesus returns in his glory, he will sit on his throne and separate people “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matt. 25:32). The separation depends on how we treat people in need. To the sheep he says,
Come, you that are blessed by 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 something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. (Matt. 25:34-36)
These are all people in need, whom the sheep served, for Jesus says, “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matt. 25:40). To the goats, he says,
Depart from me...for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me... Just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. (Matt. 25:41-43, 45)
Individually and corporately, we are called to help those in need. We are “bound in the bundle of the living under the care of the Lord your God” (1 Samuel 25:29),
1Sa 25:29 Yet a man has risen to pursue you and to seek your soul. But the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD your God. And the souls of your enemies, He shall sling them from the hollow of a sling.
(MKJV)
(Note: For this section I would have prefered:
1Sa 25:31(b) and when the Lord has been good to you, then give a thought to your servant.
(BBE)
and we cannot ignore the plight of human beings suffering hunger, thirst, nakedness, homelessness, sickness, or imprisonment. We work in order to meet our own needs and the needs of those dependent on us; but we also work in order to have something to give to those in need (Hebrews 13:1-3).
Heb 13:1 Go on loving your brothers in the faith.
2 Take care to keep open house: because in this way some have had angels as their guests, without being conscious of it.
3 Keep in mind those who are in chains, as if you were chained with them, and those who are in trouble, as being yourselves in the body.
(BBE)
We join with others to find ways to come alongside those who lack the basic necessities of life that we may take for granted. If Jesus’ words in this passage are taken seriously, more may hang on our charity than we realize.
Jesus does not say exactly how the sheep served people in need. It may have been through gifts and charitable work. But perhaps some of it was through the ordinary work of growing and preparing food and drink; helping new co-workers come up to speed on the job; designing, manufacturing, and selling clothing. All legitimate work serves people who need the products and services of the work, and in so doing, serves Jesus.
While I think that last paragraph certainly applies, I find myself thinking of the Puritan Ethic which values work so much and the American Way that became it's USA reflection. I would say that we serve God and thus since we serve Him, we act in obedience to our bosses at work and do the job as precisely as possible for the good of the company and to honor our Lord by reflecting Him before them. I would suggest that many companies today have lost the notion of serving the public so the legitimate work is sometimes not seen as a service but as a hassle or a waste. I see people who are on their phones at break, between breaks walking down the aisles, hiding behind machines that are running, standing next to other people also on their phones. The way we actually DO the job is the service as much as the production of the product. The way is as much the testimony as the act. The place of the worker's heart matters much more than the product, That has been made abundantly clear by the parable of the servant just before who didn't do act on the money given because of his fear.
Almost universally, this is seen as a reference to those who don't know Christ and haven't heard of Him. Their judgement is totally on their works, not if they have accepted Him as Savior. This is also clearly after Jesus returns TO Earth, not after the "thief in the night" Rapture. But also not after his return to the heavens. This separation of rewards and judgements tends to also prove the Rapture as a separate event in the Second Coming. But this particular judgement is uniquely placed and that makes it seem to me to be a very special one.
Three previous texts dealt with those who were forced to face the Tribulation because they had let Him down. They had fallen back to old habits, they had not nurtured the Spirit or they had done nothing with the gifts they were given to enlarge the Kingdom to come.
Now, Jesus has just returned to Earth; He has taken his throne in Jerusalem. That is clearly the statement in this verse:
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
He has called surviving humanity to the city. Perhaps he has simply transported them there. He has separated those who did good things for his "brothers", defined as those who were saved during the Tribulation, and those who did bad things, not hiding the hunted. the Ann Frank's of the era, not feeding them in their starvation with no Mark, not giving them clothing to stay warmer in their homeless state. These were acts done during the Tribulation for those fleeing in terror for their lives. At this point, Jesus judges those left behind by the ravages of war and the other Judgements of that particular time. That doesn't mean it is not a standard for all time, but it is THE standard here because the Tribulation was a special time when people were being told over and over about Jesus, by the Two, by the 144,000, by the three angels, by the trials and judgements. The acts of those in that time, IN THE TRIBULATION, are the damning acts for the Millennial Judgment and the good acts that usher the then-living (Do you see that these are NOT the Resurrected, that the Resurrection is not mentioned, is not complete until the Millennial Kingdom has ended?) into that Kingdom. When the Tribulation ends, both these "good" and "bad" will still be alive. Despite that disaster after disaster, some will live, and it is THEY who he sorts out here. This is best indicated by:
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
This is clearly a "worldly kingdom." Not one at the end of the universe in the Great White Throne Judgement which I have often thought reading it out of context. It is the Beginning of His Earthly reign. Those left who could not enter Heaven because they had no works now witness those who enter the Millennium because of works.
I wonder how many of those who previously failed make it into that Kingdom.
Please note this hardly exempts us from realizing that OUR WORKS DO COUNT! Clearly the previous parables are about just that. That they go as a crown on our heads. The reason why is made clear by David Ruis
“Over and over in the book of Revelation, we see the elders throwing down their crowns, bowing low before their God (see Rev. 4:9-11). The original language is clear. It is voluntary. This is not a reaction to being overwhelmed by His glory or overcome by something external. The elders are moved by the revelation of who it is they stand before, and by a deliberate act of the will they bow.”
― David Ruis, The Worship God Is Seeking
When believers do no works led by the Spirit, they have no crown to lay before the King.
We have right living to pursue. And the worship of active Christianity.
Let me include a deeper discussion by someone who agrees with me on this:
http://idahobaptist.com/the-judgment-of-the-nations-matthew-2531-46/
"Most of the primary lessons of these two chapters have been about Israel, but this is clearly different. The word “nations” – “ethnos” – is never used about Israel – it’s always other nations – Gentile nations. As I understand it, when Christ, Israel’s the Messiah, finally returns, the Tribulation, the preaching of the witnesses and the 144,000, and the centuries of scriptural studies will have accomplished their perfect work, and every Jewish heart still alive will see and believe that this Son of Man is their Messiah. I believe that there is reason to say that every Israelite adult left alive at that time will become a believer. THIS judgment doesn’t apply to them – there is no reason to apply this judgment to them. This is the judgment of the Gentile nations."
...
After billions have died in the plagues and judgments of the Tribulation, the millions remaining will stand before Christ to be judged – as individuals.
It appears to me that what Joel says in chapter 3:1-2 is essentially what Christ is talking about here. “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.” It will not be a problem for the Lord and His army of angels to gather the elect of Israel and bring them to the Promised Land. And similarly, it will not be a problem for God to round up the rest of humanity as well.
And where will everyone be assembled? Joel is the only scripture which speaks about “the valley of Jehoshaphat,” so no one knows exactly where it is. But one interesting explanation is that this will be the valley created when the Lord steps on the Mount of Olives and creates a valley spreading to the east of Jerusalem. And when Joel says that God “will plead with them” this isn’t about begging or making requests. That Hebrew word is translated “to judge” ten times as often as it is “to plead
But doesn’t Matthew 25 suggest that the salvation of these people entering that kingdom was based on their treatment of the Jews? No it doesn’t. “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: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we do these things? “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
During the Tribulation, God will call, commission and empower thousands of special ambassadors. There will be twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. They will be scattered throughout the world, from Siberia to the Sudan, from the Kalahari to California. Their ministry will be to explain the causes and effects of those terrible judgments. Their message will be the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ which we preach today. The people who enter the glories of the Lord’s future kingdom will be those who have “received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.” And their faith will have been proved by their affinity to those “brethren” of Christ who were spreading the truth at the great risk of their lives. They will not have been saved by their service to God’s saints, but like Rahab in Jericho, they will have been saved by faith, which was proved by protecting the Lord’s ambassadors.
...
“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.” Those who have received the message of repentance and grace – will enter the kingdom. They will enter the Millennial Kingdom which after a thousand years will be transformed into the Lord’s eternal Kingdom. These people who were humbled by the trials of the tribulation, and by the preaching of the gospel, will be saved by God’s grace. And notice that God’s grace is dispensed through sovereign election – “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” The name of each and every one of these people will have been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life since before the beginning of time. The Lord knows those who are His even during the darkest days of tribulation.
Something else which the Bible student should easily see is Jesus’ connection with John 10. “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” “And other sheep I have, which are not of this (Israelite) fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.” “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” “But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.”
What shall be the end of those who received not the message of God’s witnesses? “Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” There could very well be people among us this evening, who will be judged at the time of which these verses speak. If that is the case, then there will be no room for your escape. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.”
When we get beyond the Tribulation events, we will discuss the Millennium in some detail, but let me disagree a bit about that Millennial fate, that being invited into that Earthly kingdom is somehow an assurance of eternal life. It is only an invite to the possibility if eternal life. Still it is vastly better than the certain fate of the unkind.
And and afterthought:
"Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it."
The Scarlet Witch, Age of Ultron
"There were more than a dozen extinction level events before even the dinosaurs got theirs. When the Earth starts to "settle" God throws a stone at it and, believe me, He's winding up."
Ultron, The Age of Ultron
Thor: Stark is right.
Bruce Banner: OH, it's definitely the End Times.
In that movie, Ultron is Satan. Humans defeat him even as they wonder if they are actually monsters instead of heroes. The answer is , as always, both.
We can all throw a dart at the board and sometimes we hit it, even if we don't quite understand what we hit or the actual shape of the dartboard. Marvel has always been creating antichrists by killing their heroes and bringing them back. Black Panther was merely the latest, most successful example. They have always been preparing the way for THE Antichrist. The New Age, as Ultron says of the Vision, is "unbearably naive."
But behind all the pain and quiet or loud effort, out there, beyond the Millennial event horizon, lies home. Don't miss it. That has been the warning here for Jew, Gentile and Christian. Please! Don't miss it.
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