Search
As a continuation of the previous chapter, this chapter concerns the prophecy concerning the kingdom based on Matthew 24 and 25. These two chapters in Matthew are divided into three sections. The first section is 24:1-31, the second section is 24:32—25:30, and the third section is 25:31-46.
Throughout church history some have thought that Matthew 24 and 25 were spoken for the Jews only, but others have thought that this portion was spoken to the church. However, according to the light that the Lord has given us, we see that these two chapters are divided into three sections directed to three groups of people—the first section to the Jews, the second to the church, and the third to the nations. This understanding is based on the three questions the disciples asked (24:3). First, they asked when the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem would be. Second, they asked what the sign of Christ’s coming would be. Third, they asked what the sign of the consummation of the age would be. Since the disciples asked these three questions so clearly, the Lord surely would not give them a vague answer. Sometimes, even when the disciples asked questions in a foolish way, the Lord still answered them clearly. Here the Lord in His answer had to address at least these three matters. Concerning the destruction of the temple, He said that it has nothing to do with the church or the Gentiles; concerning His coming, He said that it is related not only to the church but also to the Jews and the nations; concerning the last days of the world, He spoke of the destiny of the nations, the unsaved ones who are living when the Lord returns. The Bible shows that there are three groups of people in the world: the Jews, the church, and the nations (1 Cor. 10:32; Rom. 1:16). Hence, the Lord’s word covers these three groups, on which the aforementioned three sections of Matthew 24 and 25 are based.
Matthew 24 mentions the Holy Place, those in Judea, the Sabbath, and the chosen, indicating that this word was spoken to the Jews (vv. 15-16, 20, 22). However, some say that this word was spoken to the disciples, that is, to the church, because the Lord said “you” (v. 15). Actually, the disciples at that time had a dual status. On one hand, they were disciples; on the other hand, they were Jews. Hence, the Lord said “you” in the first and second sections, but He did not say “you” in the third section. This is because the Jews in the first section and the church in the second section are both represented by the disciples in their dual status.
Matthew 24 also concerns the church, because the most important matter mentioned is the rapture (vv. 40-41). This matter is related only to the church. The matter of rapture does not relate to the Jews and the Gentiles. Furthermore, this second section mentions the Lord’s coming, His going, and His coming again, the focus of this section being on the events that would take place between the Lord’s going and His coming again (24:32—25:30). This portion is not related to the Jews but to the church; it reveals that the church would begin with the Lord’s ascension and end with the Lord’s second coming. The first section is in plain words. For instance, winter signifies the actual season of winter (24:20). The second section, however, is mostly in parables. For example, the summer signifies the time of the (restored) kingdom (vv. 32-33). Since the church is a mystery, the word concerning the church also is a mystery. However, because the Jews are not a mystery, the speaking concerning them is in plain words.
The third section concerns the nations, the Gentiles. In Matthew 10:5 the Lord mentioned “the way of the Gentiles.” The Greek word for Gentiles is the same as that for nations in 25:32. Hence, the Lord clearly was speaking of the Gentiles. Finally, in the third section, instead of speaking only in parables, the Lord spoke in plain words with parables.
Since the Lord had already spoken concerning the church, Christianity, and the reality of the kingdom in chapter 13, why did He need to mention the church again in the prophecy in chapters 24 and 25? The Lord mentioned the church again because chapter 13 concerns mainly how the church comes into being and what the constitution of the church is. It shows that the church grows out of the seed of life and was produced by Christ on the cross, but it does not mention the responsibility the church should bear before the Lord. Hence, the prophecy in chapters 24 and 25 is needed in order to cover the matter of the responsibility of the church.
The emphasis of the parables in chapter 13 is on the constitution, the element, of the church, but the emphasis of chapters 24 and 25 is on the responsibility of the church. Chapter 13 does not cover the responsibility of the church, and chapters 24 and 25 do not cover the constitution of the church. In order to see the producing, constitution, and content of the church, we need to know chapter 13; in order to see the responsibility of the church, we must delve into chapters 24 and 25.
The responsibility and obligation of the church, or of Christians, are of two aspects. One is the aspect of life, that is, of being watchful and prepared in life; the other is the aspect of service, that is, of being faithful in work and service.
Every Christian has a responsibility before the Lord in these two aspects—life and service. After the Lord’s ascension and before His second coming, the responsibility He leaves with us during the time He allows us to remain on earth is only of these two aspects—life and work. Hence, the word regarding the church in Matthew 24 and 25 is mainly concerning our responsibility in these two aspects. Concerning the aspect of life, we need to be watchful and prepared; concerning the aspect of work, we need to be faithful. To be watchful and prepared is to be filled with the Holy Spirit and mature in life that we may expect the Lord’s appearing; to be faithful means to fulfill the stewardship that the Lord has apportioned to us. The word concerning the church in chapter 24 is clearly related to the believers who are living, but the word in chapter 25 is clearly related to the believers who die before the Lord returns. Matthew 24:32-44 speaks concerning being watchful and prepared in life; verses 45 through 51 speak concerning being faithful in service and work. The section concerning being faithful is related to those who will be alive when the Lord returns; the section concerning being watchful in life also is related to those who are alive when the Lord returns.
The believers spoken of in chapter 25 are those who will die before the Lord returns. Verses 1 through 13 speak of the ten virgins and their watchfulness and preparation in life. Verse 5 says, “While the bridegroom delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.” Sleep here signifies death. Hence, this section refers to the dead saints. The parable of the slaves in verses 14 through 30 concerns the matter of faithfulness, which is also related to the dead believers. The slaves in chapter 24 are still alive when the master comes; however, although the slaves in chapter 25 are not said to have died, they have already finished their work when the master comes to settle accounts with them “after a long time” (v. 19). A long time signifies the entire church age; this indicates that they will already be dead when the Lord returns.
Hence, chapters 24 and 25 both concern watchfulness and preparation in life and faithfulness in work. The difference is that the former concerns the saints who will be living when the Lord returns, whereas the latter concerns the saints who will have died. From this we can see that life and work clearly are the two aspects of a Christian’s responsibility. Both chapters mention watchfulness and preparation first, and then faithfulness. This shows that the first aspect of a Christian’s responsibility is related to life. One must first be watchful and prepared in order to be mature in life and be filled with the Holy Spirit; then one can be faithful in work.
In the aspect of life a believer’s status in relation to Christ is that of a virgin who loves Him and lives for Him; in the aspect of work the status of the believer is that of a slave whom He bought to serve Him (25:1, 14). To be a virgin is a matter of loving the Lord; to be a slave is a matter of serving the Lord. To love the Lord is a matter of life; to serve the Lord is a matter of work. For the growth in life one must begin with love and must be like a virgin who loves her bridegroom. Only when we have such a love can we mature in life. Similarly, only when we serve faithfully can we fulfill our duty in the work. To be virgins means to be single and pure, not being occupied or defiled by anything. In the aspect of life we must keep our status as virgins. A virgin is different from a woman and is even farther removed from an adulterous woman. A woman is occupied by something legitimate; an adulterous woman is occupied by something illegitimate. A virgin, on the contrary, is pure and not occupied by any person, matter, or thing. In the aspect of life we should all be virgins.
Virgins do not have any anxieties on the earth; their hearts are toward Christ, the Bridegroom. This is our position and status in life. As to our condition, like the virgins in the parable, we should be taking our lamps with us, which indicates that although we are in a dark age with darkness all around us, we have the testimony of light, the light that shines in darkness. When we contact a proper believer, we will sense the light in him; every place where he is, is bright because he takes his lamp with him. Some believers, however, are no different from the unbelievers, because they do not take their lamps with them. The light of the lamp comes from oil, and the oil is held in the vessel. This oil signifies the indwelling Holy Spirit. It signifies not the Spirit poured on the believers outwardly but the indwelling Holy Spirit who causes the believers to shine. The Spirit of Christ is related to our responsibility in the aspect of life, not in the aspect of service. Virgins are undefiled; this should be our position and condition in life. As soon as we love something other than the Lord, we immediately lose our position as virgins. Our proper condition is that of taking our lamps, having oil in our lamps, and shining.
The way of the virgins is to go forth from where they are, to go out of the world (v. 1b). Christians who are fallen either linger or look back. However, all Christians who are proper in life are those who go out; Christians are a group of people who go out. Although others are going into the world, we are going out of the world. Our condition is one of taking our lamp with us, and our way is one of going out of the world. We proceed in the direction opposite to that of the people in the world. The reason we go out of the world is that the One whom we love is not in the world.
The living of a virgin is to go forth to meet the bridegroom (v. 1b). Only by our meeting Him can we be raptured by Him. The Lord’s coming to take us depends on our meeting Him. Our going forth is for us to meet the Bridegroom. The world cannot draw us, because we have a lovelier object before us. Toward the Christ whom we love, we are virgins, and we are not asleep but are waiting and taking our lamps. A Christian who truly fulfills his duty and responsibility in life will be in this condition.
The ten virgins are divided into two groups, with five in each group (v. 2). This does not mean that exactly half of the believers are foolish and the other half are prudent; it simply means that each believer is in one of two categories. Five is the number of responsibility. We have five fingers on each hand, showing that five is the number for bearing responsibility. Five is composed of four plus one, as illustrated by our five fingers; four fingers belong to one group, and to these four the thumb is added. With four fingers and a thumb, man can do many things. Four is the number of the creature (Rev. 4:6), and one is the number of the Creator (1 Cor. 8:6). The creatures plus the Creator are able to bear the responsibility in doing things. This means that whether or not we are mature in life is not God’s responsibility. Because God has already been added to us, we alone are accountable for our immaturity in life.
The distinction between the foolish and the prudent virgins is related to their having oil in their vessels. The prudent have oil in their vessels, but the foolish do not (Matt. 25:3-4). To have oil in one’s vessel is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. However, in order to receive the filling of the Holy Spirit, one must pay a price (v. 9). Those who love their fame, position, parents, wife, or money or who care only for themselves cannot obtain oil by being filled with the Holy Spirit. In order to be filled with the Holy Spirit, one must love the Lord above all. In other words, one must be willing to despise and forsake all things as a price for the Lord’s sake (Phil. 3:7-8). Today we should give up all things, not wastefully but for the purpose of gaining Christ. In this way we will definitely buy the oil and be filled with the Holy Spirit. If a brother loves fame, position, and money, there will be no room in him for the Holy Spirit. However, if he spends all that he has, his vessel will be emptied out to allow for the filling of the oil, the Holy Spirit.
The foolish virgins do not signify the unsaved. Both the prudent and the foolish in the parable are virgins, and they all take their lamps to go forth to meet the bridegroom (Matt. 25:1-3). Therefore, the foolish virgins are not unsaved but are only foolish. They are foolish because they have not paid the price that they should have paid in order to receive the Holy Spirit. To be foolish is to not recognize what is truly precious but to instead treasure something else and thereby abandon the Holy Spirit. We can be prudent only by forsaking everything else that we treasure and being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Because the bridegroom delays, these virgins become drowsy and sleep (v. 5). To be drowsy is to become sick; to sleep is to die. In the human life there is birth, aging, illness, and death. That the virgins become drowsy and sleep has nothing to do with watchfulness, because even the prudent ones sleep. At midnight there is a cry, which signifies the voice of the archangel at the Lord’s coming (1 Thes. 4:16). All the virgins then arise, which signifies that they are resurrected (Matt. 25:7). At that time the prudent are mature, but the foolish are not; thus, the foolish ask the prudent for some oil (v. 8). However, spiritual life cannot be borrowed; the life that we have is sufficient only for ourselves. The foolish must go to buy oil for themselves (v. 9). This means that even after being resurrected, Christians must still deal with the matter of the filling of the Holy Spirit and the maturity of life; otherwise, they will not be gathered into the Lord’s “barn” (13:30).
It is not until Revelation 14 that the seed sown in Matthew 13 has ripened and is reaped. All the dead and immature saints cannot be gathered into the barn after they die; they must first be worked on until they are ripe. Christians must become ripe, for they are God’s harvest. If they are not ripe, God cannot gather them into His barn. Therefore, even after resurrection, they still need to ripen in order for the Lord to receive them. After the five foolish virgins were resurrected, they still had to go to buy oil. Although they eventually obtained the oil, the door was already shut, and they could not partake of the wedding feast (25:10). The virgins who mature early can partake of the wedding feast; those who mature later will not be allowed to partake of the wedding feast. Rather, they will be punished, and they will weep and gnash their teeth in the outer darkness.
In Matthew 25:12 the bridegroom said to the foolish virgins, “I do not know you.” This does not mean that they are not saved but that the Lord will not recognize them or allow them to have a part in the wedding feast. This will be a punishment to them. However, the Lord’s not recognizing them will be only dispensational, just as erasing a believer’s name out of the book of life, which is spoken of in Revelation 3:5, applies only to the kingdom age. The foolish are saved, and their names are in the book of life; however, because they will have no part in the marriage feast during the kingdom age, their names will be erased for a time. The marriage feast will be a celebration for a thousand years, but for the foolish it will be a time of punishment. This is the reason the Lord charged us to watch and be ready (Matt. 25:13; 24:44). This is the requirement and the warning in the aspect of life.
Matthew 13 shows the progression of the church, and chapters 24 and 25 show the kind of life we should have and the responsibility we should bear. The present age is the nighttime when the Lord has departed from us. The sun has set, and the morning has not yet come.
In the parable of the virgins in Matthew 25, there are two kinds of oil. The oil in the lamp is the regenerating Holy Spirit, and the oil in the vessel is the indwelling Holy Spirit. The similarity between the five prudent virgins and the five foolish ones is that all of them are virgins, all take their lamps, and all go forth to meet the bridegroom. Moreover, all their lamps are lighted, for the foolish said, “Our lamps are going out” (v. 8). However, the difference is that the prudent have oil in their vessels, but the foolish do not. All of them have been regenerated, but the prudent have the filling of the indwelling Spirit, whereas the foolish do not.
Concerning the believers’ responsibility, chapter 24 speaks regarding the living believers. This is because in relation to the aspect of life, this portion says that two men will be in the field and two women will be grinding at the mill; in both cases, one will be taken and one will be left (vv. 40-41). Moreover, in relation to the aspect of work, this portion says that the faithful and prudent slave gives food to the master’s household at the proper time and that while the evil slave is beating his fellow slaves, the master will come (vv. 45, 49-50). Therefore, it is obvious that these are living believers. Chapter 25 speaks concerning the dead believers, because in the aspect of life they are virgins who became drowsy and slept, which means that they became sick and died. It is not until the Lord comes that they will arise to meet Him; this indicates that they will be resurrected (vv. 5-7). In the aspect of work they are slaves who have finished their work; it is not until the Lord comes that He will settle accounts with them (vv. 14-30).
The number of saints mentioned in chapter 24 is fewer than that in chapter 25. Concerning the aspect of life, chapter 24 mentions two men and two women, but chapter 25 mentions ten virgins; concerning the aspect of work, chapter 24 mentions two slaves, but chapter 25 speaks of three categories of slaves. The number mentioned in chapter 25 is greater because when the Lord comes, there will be more saints who will have died than saints who will still be living.
Concerning the aspect of life, both chapters indicate that we need to watch and be ready (24:42-44; 25:13); concerning the aspect of work, they both say that we need to be faithful (24:45; 25:21, 23). With respect to the believers’ responsibility in life, chapter 25 says that our position and condition should be that of virgins, our situation should be that of taking our lamps, our way should be that of going out of the world, and our living should be that of meeting the Bridegroom. It also says that we must pay attention to the filling of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Chapter 24 says that two men will be in the field and two women will be grinding at the mill, which indicates that it is in our daily living that we must be like virgins who take their lamps and go forth to meet the bridegroom. Both working in the field and grinding at the mill are matters of daily living. What the Lord meant is that we need to take our lamps and go forth to meet the Bridegroom as virgins, not only while we are preaching and speaking messages but also in our ordinary daily living.
These two portions regarding life and responsibility in Matthew 24 and 25 need to be viewed together. In other words, the saints should have the living described in chapter 24 and the status, condition, and way described in chapter 25. Both portions show that when the Lord comes to take us, it will not be that two of us are praying and that one is taken and the other is left, nor will it be that two men are preaching and that one is taken and the other is left. Rather, it will be while we are living an ordinary daily life of working in the field or grinding at the mill that some will be taken. Those who will be taken are the prudent ones, and those who will be left are the foolish. The difference is not that one works in the field and the other grinds at the mill; the difference is that one is filled with the indwelling Spirit and the other is not.
The Lord is truly wise. He did not say that the men will be preaching and the women praying; instead, He said that the men will be in the field and the women will be grinding at the mill. This indicates that we will either be taken or be left behind in our ordinary living. Moreover, the Lord did not say that two men will be watching movies and one is taken and one is left; nor did He say that two women will be dancing and one is taken and one is left. What the Lord said is related to our livelihood on the earth. Working in the field and grinding at the mill are to take care of our daily necessities. Chapter 25 speaks of the spiritual condition a believer should have, and chapter 24 reveals the kind of daily living in which this spiritual condition should be manifested, that is, in the kind of work one does for his existence.
Regarding the believers’ responsibility in the aspect of work, if chapters 24 and 25 are examined together, they will reveal what it means to be faithful. Chapter 25 reveals that to be faithful is to properly use the gifts that the Lord has given us; chapter 24 shows that to be faithful is to give food to those in the Lord’s household at the proper time, which means to give food to the church, to care for the needs of the brothers and sisters and to minister to them at the proper time. If the gift that the Lord has given us is in material riches, we should give according to the Lord’s leading in this matter; if our gift is to visit people, we should follow the Lord’s leading to visit the saints according to their needs. All the gifts are to give food at the proper time (v. 45). To pray for the brothers and sisters or to speak to them in order to shepherd them according to their needs also is to give food at the proper time. This is the way to be faithful in work. The unfaithful one in the parable beat his fellow slaves (v. 49); this signifies criticizing and judging the brothers and sisters.
When a faithful one sees that his companions are weak, he does not criticize them; rather, according to the gifts that the Lord has given him, he gives them food. If his gift is to pray, he prays for them; if his gift is to visit, he goes to visit and help them. An unfaithful one, however, without waiting for an explanation, criticizes and judges his companions when he sees that they are weak. Many times we are those who beat our companions; we do not give them food at the proper time. To beat our companions is to criticize them because we are not satisfied with them; to give them food at the proper time is to minister to our companions based on our spiritual condition and according to their needs. Hence, whether we are faithful or not depends entirely on the exercise of our gifts; the exercise of our gifts determines whether we supply the saints or criticize them.
If a brother truly serves the Lord faithfully, he will never criticize. Only an unfaithful serving one who falls short in his serving and who does not exercise his gifts will criticize and judge others. A faithful serving one, even when he sees the worst situation, still will not criticize or judge; instead, he will diligently pray for the situation. Only those who are cold in service and who do not love the church will be critical and judgmental. Thus, the Lord indicated in this parable that to be faithful is to minister to others and that to be unfaithful is to criticize others. When a faithful one sees his brother make a mistake, he always thinks of a way to resolve the mistake and minister life. Hence, to be faithful is to minister to and serve the brothers and sisters according to the supply of grace we have received in our daily living.
The believers’ responsibility in the aspect of life is based on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; the believers’ responsibility in the aspect of work is based on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the aspect of life we need to buy oil; in the aspect of work we need to use our talents. Oil signifies the indwelling Holy Spirit, and talents signify the gifts of the Holy Spirit. According to chapter 24, to exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit is to give food at the proper time (v. 45). The unfaithful slave who beat his fellow slaves and the unfaithful slave who hid his one talent both indicate the same thing (vv. 48-49; 25:24-25). When we are cold and backslidden, we always say, “When I visit people, they will not be moved; when I preach the gospel, people will not listen.” This is to tell the Lord, as the slothful slave did, “You are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow” (v. 24). To act in this way is to hide and not use our talent.
We must see that the money changers in this parable are those whom we help. When they receive the help of our talent, they will in turn help others with this talent. In this way the help we render is our capital, and the help to others rendered by the one whom we help is our interest. This interest is a compounding interest. When the Lord comes, He will recover what is His with interest. Therefore, we must be faithful to minister with all our heart and strength at the proper time.
In the matter of being faithful, the Lord does not want us to focus on the result; rather, He wants us simply to minister whenever we see the need. In these two portions of chapters 24 and 25 the Lord is altogether not concerned with the result. We know this because the one who received five talents did not gain more than five talents, and the one who received two talents did not gain more than two talents. If the Lord were focused on the result, the master would have expected the two slaves to have gained more. Thus, gaining equals using. If the Lord gives us five talents, we should use these five talents; our using these talents is our gaining them. We use our five talents to gain another five talents, meaning that our using is our gaining. This shows that the Lord does not want us to pay attention to the result of our work; rather, He wants us to faithfully use the gifts that we have received.
Hence, in the aspect of life we are not required to do something great; rather, we need to care for the indwelling Spirit in our daily living. Similarly, in the aspect of work we are not required to do something great; rather, we need to be ready at all times to faithfully use the gifts we have received. Concerning our responsibility in the aspects of life and work, we need to be mature in life and faithful in our work. Maturity will cause us to be raptured; faithfulness will cause us to be rewarded. If we do not reach maturity in life before we pass away, we will have to “make up the lesson” and be matured after the resurrection in the future. If we are not faithful in service before death, we will weep and gnash our teeth in the future; we will not be able to make up for our unfaithfulness.
If we reach maturity today, we can also be faithful, but if we wait to mature in the future, although we may desire to be faithful, we will have missed the opportunity. Those who mature early and are faithful receive a reward. We may say that early maturity is the entrance to receiving the reward, and faithfulness determines the content of the reward. Whether we will rule over five cities or ten cities will depend on the degree of our faithfulness. However, whether or not we will rule over any cities will depend on whether we are mature. Those who mature early can partake of the wedding feast, the millennial kingdom; our faithfulness determines what our position will be in the kingdom. In other words, being faithful causes us to receive a reward; its emphasis is not on causing us to enter into the kingdom. Our entrance into the kingdom depends on our early maturity. Concerning those who mature late, although they will eventually become mature, they will miss the entrance into the kingdom and will not partake of the wedding feast or obtain a reward, because it will be too late. Hence, those who mature late have no need to be faithful, because they will have already missed the opportunity.
Therefore, Matthew 25 shows that one can buy oil to reach maturity after the resurrection, but that one will not have the opportunity to be faithful. Maturity is the prerequisite to our entrance into the kingdom; faithfulness is the prerequisite to our receiving a reward. We must see clearly that faithfulness in work follows maturity in life. Whether one can be faithful in his work depends on the condition of his spiritual life. Hence, in order to be faithful in the work, one first needs to be mature in life. Only if we are mature in life today will we be given the opportunity to be faithful in the work. If we wait until the future to mature in life, there will be no opportunity for us to be faithful. Even if we would desire to be faithful, we will have lost our opportunity. This loss of opportunity is a punishment. Therefore, only if we are prudent virgins in life today will we be able to be faithful slaves in the work.
In the future, after we are resurrected, there will only be the opportunity for us to pay the price to buy oil; there will be no opportunity for us to trade with our talents. If we pay the price to buy oil today, we will certainly be able to trade with our talents properly; however, although we will still be able to pay the price to buy oil in the future, we will not be able to trade with our talents. Hence, today we should pay the price to buy oil and also trade with our talents.
We have seen that oil signifies the indwelling Holy Spirit and that talents signify the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling Holy Spirit can also be said to be the filling of the Holy Spirit. If the saints are not filled with the Holy Spirit, they will not be able to properly exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are used by means of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Thus, in order to exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit, one must have the filling of the Holy Spirit. The filling of the Holy Spirit is related to life; the gifts of the Holy Spirit are related to work. One who desires to do well in the work must have the proper experience in life. In summary, the center of the prophecy in Matthew 24 and 25 is our responsibility today. In the aspect of life we must be filled with the Holy Spirit; that is, we must be those who are watchful, who are prepared, and who expect the Lord’s coming. In the aspect of work we must exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit; that is, we must serve the Lord faithfully and properly. These are the two aspects of the responsibility we should bear today. If we are proper in our experience, we will not only enter into the manifestation of the kingdom in the future, but we will also receive a reward. The entrance into the kingdom depends on our maturity in life; the receiving of a reward depends on our faithfulness in the work.
After the Lord has completely finished with the church age, He will come with His overcomers, the faithful ones who mature early, to the earth from heaven, from the air, to judge the people who are still living on the earth at that time, that is, the nations (25:31-32). As for those who have died in the past generations, the Lord will judge them at the great white throne after another thousand years, at the end of the millennial kingdom (Rev. 20:11-15). The Scripture says that the Lord will judge “the living and the dead” (2 Tim. 4:1). His judging of the living is before the millennial kingdom, and His judging of the dead is after the millennial kingdom, both of which determine the matter of eternal perdition for man. The judgment of the living is signified by the parable of the net in Matthew 13:47-48 and is spoken of again by the Lord in the account of the separating of the sheep from the goats in 25:32-46.
The basis of the judgment of the nations at the end of Matthew 25 is the eternal gospel. The result of this judgment is that those who receive the eternal gospel, fear God, and do not kill the saints but rather help them when they have the opportunity will be counted by the Lord as righteous. These correspond to the good in 13:48 and to the sheep in 25:33. All those who do not receive the eternal gospel, who do not fear God, and who kill rather than help the saints will be counted by God as evil. These correspond to the foul in 13:48 and to the goats in 25:33.
Matthew 25 says that the sheep are those who treat well the least of the Lord’s brothers (vv. 34-40). Every saved one knows that to treat the Lord’s brothers well is to treat the Lord well. However, the sheep do not know this; this proves that they are not Christians. When Saul persecuted the churches and the Christians, the Lord said that he was persecuting the Lord Himself (Acts 9:1-5). Moreover, the Lord said that to treat His brothers well is to treat Him well (Matt. 25:40). From this we see that the brothers are the Lord’s members; they are the saints who are left behind to pass through the great tribulation. Hence, their thirst, hunger, nakedness, and sickness are the trials and tribulations they will pass through (vv. 35-36).
Some say that the sheep do not refer to the unbelievers, those who are not regenerated. They say that the unbelievers are not the Lord’s sheep, and it is impossible for the unsaved ones to go into eternal life. Our answer is that Psalm 100 says that all the people on the earth are the sheep of God’s pasture, whom God cares for and nourishes (v. 3). Furthermore, in Luke 15 the ninety-nine lost sheep signify the people of the world; only the one that is found is a saved one (vv. 4-7). Hence, it is inaccurate to say that only the saved ones can be likened to sheep. Consequently, the first reason for believing that the sheep in Matthew 25 do not refer to unbelievers cannot be validated.
Moreover, Matthew 25 says that the righteous will go into eternal life (v. 46), but this is different from the believers’ having eternal life (John 3:16). Whereas eternal life has entered into the believers, the unbelievers who are righteous will go into eternal life, which refers to the realm of the kingdom, the realm of eternity. The eternal life spoken of in Matthew 25 does not focus on the life itself but on the realm of life. In verse 34 the Lord says to the sheep, “Come...inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” This refers to the blessing of the earth, that is, the blessing of the garden of Eden. This blessing was lost because of Adam’s sin, but the sheep will enjoy this blessing, which God ordained for man to enjoy when He created man. They will be the people in the millennium. In verse 41 the Lord says to the goats, “Go away...into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” This also is a matter of a sphere. The kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world is for man’s enjoyment, and the eternal fire is prepared for the devil and his angels. However, the goats on the Lord’s left also will go into eternal fire. They will be the grapes on the vine of the earth mentioned in Revelation 14:17-20.
The sheep enter into a kingdom, which is a sphere; the goats enter into the lake of fire, which also is a sphere. The eternal punishment spoken of in Matthew 25:46 is the lake of fire, and the eternal life is the prepared kingdom. Both refer to a sphere, a realm. Thus, to go into eternal life does not mean to have eternal life, because the sheep have not been regenerated.
The judgment of the sheep and the goats will be executed not in the air but when the Lord comes to the earth, because they will not have departed from the earth. However, the judgment of the saints at the Lord’s judgment seat will be in the air, because they will have been raptured (1 Thes. 4:16-17). Therefore, the judgment of the sheep and the goats has nothing to do with the saints but is related to the unbelievers who are living when the Lord comes back to the earth.
Our focus should not be on expounding the prophecy of the kingdom but on seeing the way of life. The Lord’s word shows that being a Christian is not merely a matter of salvation; after salvation there are also the matters of maturity and faithfulness. Hence, we need to be delivered from the great tree and the leaven and be small, lowly food to supply others. Moreover, we need to be delivered from the world to become a treasure, to be full of light, and to exercise our gifts. All this added together is to submit to the authority of the kingdom, to allow the heavens to reign, and to subject ourselves to God’s ruling, that is, to allow God to reign. This is the Gospel of Matthew, the gospel of the kingdom, which is to save God’s people from the sin of rebellion. We need to learn from the Lord’s pattern. He did not strive or cry out, nor could anyone hear His voice in the streets (12:19), but He was full of the ruling authority. If we apply all these points, we will have the living described in Matthew 5 through 7 and will live in the reality of the kingdom.
The light that the Lord has given in Matthew is His revelation to the church today. This light causes us to take the way of the kingdom. This is the light of the ruling of the heavens, the light of being delivered from rebellion, the light of the gospel of the kingdom. Only when we take this way can we preach the gospel, teach people, and bring the nations to the Lord. This is the way Matthew ends. When the kingdom people gather into the Lord’s name, He will be in their midst. Only such people can truly experience Emmanuel, God with us, and Jesus, the One who saves His people from their sins. This word enlightens our inner being so that we will not dare to beat our companions by criticizing or judging them. Those who do not have this light may still have peace even if they become a part of the great tree and mix leaven into the fine flour. Those who have light, however, will not be able to do these things.
