Text: Matthew 24,25

Prophecy can be confusing simply because it is telescopic in nature. The primary recipients of the prophetic message may not see the fulfillment of the prophecy. For instance, in Isaiah 7:14, the prophet’s message to King Ahaz was that until a virgin should conceive and bear a son, and call his name "Immanuel," the kingdom would last. The fulfillment did not occur until 700 years later.

Some would teach us that we should not look for doctrine in the Gospels, but the messages of our Lord are found in the Gospels; and if we take Scripture carefully, and prayerfully, most difficulties vanish. Consider the prophetic discourse Christ gave on the Mount of Olives.

I. The Destruction of Jerusalem, and the Second Coming of Christ and of the End of the World (Matt. 24:1-3)

        2. Jesus adds a corrective to the false signs (Matt. 24:14;     Mk.13:10)

   B. The one great sign in Jerusalem which would warn them of impending destruction of Jerusalem (Matt. 24:15)

   C. The Manner and time of the Second Coming (Matt. 24:2-36; Mk. 13:24-32; Lk. 21:28-33)

II. The Subject of the Destruction of Jerusalem fades in the second main division of the discourse (Matt. 24:37-25:13; Mk. 13:3-37; Lk. 21:34-36)

   A. This is first evidenced by the reference to the times of Noah (Matt. 24:37-44)

   B. Readiness is next urged by a series of parables (Matt. 24:43-25:13; Mk. 13:33.37; Lk. 21:34-36) The refrain of all is "Watch, therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour."

III. The Third division of the discourse deals exclusively with the Second Coming of Christ for judgment (Matt. 25:14-46). It is presented in the parable of the Talents, and the scene of Judgment.

   A. The parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14-30). If we would render a good account to the Lord at His coming, faithful service is required, although the Lord delays His coming.

          1. Men are not equal in talents, abilities, opportunities.

          3. There is a time of reckoning when the Judge of the whole earth will commend and reward, or reprove and punish each of us.

   B. The Scene of Judgment (Matt. 25:31~46); Matthew who had been a tax collector is the only one to preserve this portion for us.

          1. When the Son of Man is come, He will sit upon His throne surrounded by His angels, and will judge the nations.

               a. The righteous, located on His "right," the place of reference, are welcomed to inherit the Kingdom.

               b. The Kingdom is said to have been made ready for them from the foundation of the world. Hence, these were chosen to salvation from eternity.

               c. The evidence offered of this fact is their character.

                    2.) They are hospitable, even to His obscure    

                    disciples.

              d. Not so the ungodly on His "left" hand, the place of rejection (41-45)

2.) Although sentenced to "Depart ...into everlasting fire," they do not confess their selfishness, their hard-heartedness, or their neglect of the members of the household of faith.

              e. Hell is a reality. It was prepared for the Devil and his angels (See: Jude 6; II Pet. 2:4; Rev. 12:7). Jesus declares "These shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal" (Matt. 25:46).

                     1.) "Punishment" demands consciousness.           

                     2.) This punishment ever lasts because finite men  

                     have sinned against God who is infinite.

                    4.) The separation of the wicked from the just ones,

                    a time when God shall vindicate His own, is certain.

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August 25, 1995

Dear Brother M.

"...Now for a quick response to your position that PROMISE KEEPERS wins converts who probably would have otherwise remained lost: Jesus said, ‘All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out’ (Jn. 6:37). Jesus later mentioned receiving power to ‘give eternal life to as many as’ the Father had given Him (Jn. 17:2); and said his high priestly prayer was ‘not for the world,’ but for them which the Father had given Him (Jn. 17:9), which included them also which should believe on Him (20).

"Along this line, Luke wrote how Paul’s preaching made believers of as many Gentiles as had been ordained (or appointed) to eternal life (Acts 13:48). Moreover, the Scriptures speak of God’s predestinating, calling, justifying, and ultimately glorifying His elect people, whom He chose in Christ before the foundation of the world --so that none of the elect slip through the cracks, but all are brought to salvation (Rom. 8:28-30; Eph. 1:3-6; II Thes. 2:13; II Tim. 1:9; Jn. 6:39-40, 44-45).

"The thrust of these verses, I believe, is that all God’s elect --and only God’s elect --will come to Christ. Therefore, PROMISE KEEPERS’ rallies have not saved anyone who, were it not for Promise Keepers, would have wound up in hell. (Besides, why should we think it possible to reach more people by charging them admission and requiring them to take off work, travel out of town, arrange overnight lodging, and sit in stadiums whose limited seating capacity causes rallies to be sold out months in advance?)

"...If PROMISE KEEPERS cannot get anyone saved who, because non-elect, could not have been saved through uncompromised, Biblically evangelical methods, how does PROMISE KEEPERS’ GOOD in soul-winning offset the sinfulness of tripping up new converts by having them promise to support their pastors and churches, apostate or not? Besides, can the notion of our good offsetting our sin be justified in light of the Biblical doctrine that God wants us to become conformed to the image of His Son? From Jesus’ instructions to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, I note that he praised the good in those churches, and warned of judgment should the evils not be corrected.

"As part of the bride of Christ, should we not be praying for the grace and power we will need in order to be found without spot or wrinkle when He presents us to the Father? ..." –Frank Hutto (3219 Craneferry Road, Martinez, Ga. 30907).

"We (Bill Bright, Charles Colson, James I. Packer) met with them (John MacArthur, John Ankerberg, R. C. Sproul, D. James Kennedy) on January 19, 1995. There is no doubt the presence of the Lord was there. He guided our dialog. I was deeply impressed by the loving spirit within these leaders. The Holy spirit brought tears to my eyes as I explained that repudiating the agreement would probably cause tens of millions of Catholics to be eternally lost. (God’s) marvelous grace provided a unanimous accord that we would not have the signers to repudiate the ECT but would allow us to issue a clarifying statement. One of the leaders later wrote, ‘I will never forget Bill Bright saying that we don’t want to be responsible for keeping millions out of the kingdom...’" (excerpt from a letter by Bill Bright, of Campus Crusade)

"With regard to the ECT paper, Chuck Colson and Bill Bright are making the issue seem confusing...We have had to scramble around to reaffirm our complete opposition to the ECT document. Bill Bright’s explanation to people is less than accurate and is a grief to me. In our January meeting, all (the clarification document) did was to confuse the issue...We attempted to get Colson, Bright and Packer to recant and we do not stand in unity with them. The battle is heating up and the lines are being drawn. Please pray for us," (excerpt from a letter by John MacArthur)

-(from August 1995 issue of Constantly Evolving Catholicism, P.O. Box 621853, Littleton, Co. 80162; Sill Jackson, Editor)-

TWO COMMENTS: First, "After suggesting in ECT that Catholics are saved brethren who can regenerate infants by baptism and who should not be proselytized by Protestants, Dr. Bright writes as if repudiating ECT would cause million of these "saved" brethren to be eternally lost. His confusion, I think, stems from his failure to trust God as Lord of the harvest (Prov. 3:5-7; Lk. 10:2). We mortals cannot know in advance who will or will not convert, and what approach will or will not produce converts.

From Scripture, though, we can know that the gospel is divinely powerful for saving everyone who will believe it (Rom. 1:16). "To reap a precious harvest, we must sow precious seed (Ps. 126:5,6). If, compromising, we change seed just so as to get something to sprout, when harvest comes, we may discover that we have done the Devil’s job of sowing tares.

Second, unity among believers is good and pleasant (Ps. 133), but in times of apostasy, divisions are necessary for revealing who is or is not true (I Cor. 11:18-19; II Cor. 16:14-18; I Jn. 2:19). This ECT debate could greatly enlighten us as to who is evangelical, and who is neo-evangelical.

Neo-evangelicals avoid taking sides, and so will erase lines as soon as possible, straddle them, or keep quiet about where the lines are, or whether the lines really exist. To Evangelicals, however, the gospel is non-negotiable truth. When it is at stake, they will draw a line, and stand their ground. -Frank Hutto

_______________________

* "Preserving the fundamental doctrines of the faith is no longer the anxious concern it was a generation ago..." -Michael G. Maudlin, Managing Editor of Christianity Today, for August 14, 1995; reprinted in "Calvary Contender" for October, 1995.

* "I just, sometimes I wonder if the whole study of theology isn’t a waste of time" -Paul Crouch, head of Trinity Broadcasting Network, in the Spring, 1994 Witness, Inc. News, reprinted in "Calvary Contender" for October 1995.