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A Seldom Recognized Prophecy of the Olivet Discourse
On the Tuesday afternoon of Jesus’ final week before His crucifixion, He talked to His disciples about the future of the temple (prophesying its destruction) and the end of the age before His return. During this discourse on the Mount of Olives (called the Olivet Discourse), Jesus made a number of prophecies. Some are recognized as prophecies and some are not.
One of His major Olivet Discourse prophecies is commonly considered a parable even though it is actually a prophecy and a very important one at that. That’s the prophecy of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-40) and it lays out the standards and criteria by which Jesus will judge who of “all the nations” have eternal reward or punishment. (In the Old Testament there is a confirming prophecy of Jesus’ judgment of the nations as we shall see later.) Fundamentally, these criteria are whether we have provided for or how we have treated four classes of people. They are the poor, the alien, the sick, and the imprisoned. By being the standards by which Jesus will judge “all the nations”, these standards are inherently major teachings and commandments of Jesus. This expression “all the nations” (πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, pronounced “panta ta ethnē in Greek, see end note 1.) is the same expression found in Matthew 28:19 (make disciples of all the nations) and Mark 13:10 (gospel must first be preached to all the nations). And thus, we see from these latter two examples, the term” all the nations” applies as well to all the individuals of the nations.
This scripture is probably mistaken for a parable for several reasons. It follows some well known parables and is separated from the majority (but not all) of the Olivet Discourse prophecies by those parables. Most (but not all) of the Olivet Discourse prophecies are in chapter 24 of Matthew. (The other exception to the latter is Jesus’ last Olivet Discourse prophecy of His impending crucifixion in the first two verses of chapter 26.) Also, in this prophecy of the sheep and the goats, Jesus uses those sheep and goats as an analogy in Matthew 25:32 and as a metaphor in Matthew 25:33. That usage tends to lend the prophecy of the sheep and the goats the appearance of a parable. However, the prophecy nature of Matthew 25:31-40 is established in the first verse where Jesus prophesied His return with the same terms and verbal elements of description as He uses in the universally accepted prophecy of His return in Matthew 24:30-31. Compare “when the Son of Man comes in His glory” of Matthew 25:31 with “all . . . will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” of Matthew 24:30. Also compare “and all the angels with Him” of Matthew 25:31 with “And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call” of Matthew 24:31. Of course I am aware that the trumpet call is for His “chosen ones” or “elect” which precedes His gathering of all the nations. Later we’ll discuss who the “chosen ones” or “elect” actually are and are not.
The Olivet Discourse is not the only Bible scripture foretelling Jesus’ judgment among the nations. In Psalm 110 King David prophecies about God telling Jesus that He will give Jesus ruling dominion over the earth. The first verse of Psalm 110 is “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’" Psalm 110:1 (NASB). This verse with the Hebrew and the transliteration (English phonetic spelling) of the first LORD and second Lord is “The יְהוָ֨ה (Yah-weh) says to my לַֽאדֹנִ֗י (la-do-ni): ‘Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’" (See end note 2.) Yahweh is the name of God the Father and ladoni (which means master or lord in the sense of someone who rules over you) would have to be Jesus (just as the Bible says in Matthew 22:43, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42-4, and Acts 2:34-6) since David was a powerful king who was not the subject of any mortal master. Then, later, in verse 6 of Psalm 110 the Psalm brings forth the prophecy that “He [Jesus] will judge among the nations . . .”
After His miraculous resurrection from His mortal death, Jesus establishes the fact that God has given Him the authority to be the judge among the nations when He informs His disciples that “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Matthew 28:18 (NASB)
Now it should not surprise anyone familiar with the bible that provision for or treatment of the poor, the alien, the sick, and the imprisoned are core commandments for us. The provision for or treatment of these classes of people are emphasized as core commandments throughout the bible. For example, about 1400 years before Jesus, God said, through Moses, “. . . the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the LORD you God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.” (Deuteronomy 14:29, NASB) Over 900 years before Jesus, King Solomon wrote “The righteous considers the cause of the poor: but the wicked regards not to know it.” (Proverbs 29:7, American King James Version, see end note 2) Over 700 years before Jesus, God said through Isaiah, “Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and to the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!” (Isaiah 10:1-2, ESV) Over 500 years before Jesus, God said through Ezekiel, “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom [the city/state destroyed by God in Genesis 19]: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.” (Ezekiel 16:49, NASB) Over 400 years before Jesus, God said, through Malachi, “Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness . . . against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me, . . .” (Malachi 3:5, NASB) And, previously, Jesus had told a rich young man looking for eternal life “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor . . .” (Matthew 19:21, ESV)
The preceding is not nearly a comprehensive list of bible references advocating provision for of the better treatment of the poor, the alien, the sick, and the imprisoned. It is more of an introductory taste for the purpose of illustration.
Now there will almost certainly be those who think that they are exempt from these criteria and standards of judgment by virtue of a supposed inclusion among the “chosen ones” or “elect” who are gathered at the aforementioned trumpet call (a.k.a., the “rapture”). This belief is usually based upon the believer’s professed acceptance of Jesus as their “Lord and Savior”. Well, there are real problems with such a professed acceptance giving one exemption from these criteria and standards of judgment which are inherently major teachings and commandments of Jesus. Acceptance of someone as your Lord means your acceptance of your obligation to obey his commandments. And, as is the case with any true conditional statement, such as the preceding sentence, the contrapositive is also true. That is, denial of your obligation to obey someone’s commandments means denial of that person as your Lord. I realize that we all fail in following the teachings and commandments of Jesus which are also of God and confess that I am certainly a failer/sinner. That’s why we have genuine repentance and why Jesus bled and died on the cross to be our propitiation. Nevertheless, denial of your obligation to obey someone’s commands means denial of that person as your Lord. Jesus said “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21, ESV)
In our society right now we have people who make a big show of professing to be Christians but who simultaneously advocate depriving the poor, the alien, the sick, and the imprisoned. There is a term for them; pseudo-Christian hypocrites! And, given their de facto denial of their obligation to obey Jesus’ commandment, Jesus is not their Lord and it is unrealistic of such persons to expect to be a part of any “rapture.”
One final note; there are some in our country who claim we are a “Christian nation” even though they advocate non-provision for or mistreatment of these classes of people. We should realize that to the extent that we, as a nation, follow this advocacy we are, in fact, being a non-Christian nation.
One of His major Olivet Discourse prophecies is commonly considered a parable even though it is actually a prophecy and a very important one at that. That’s the prophecy of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-40) and it lays out the standards and criteria by which Jesus will judge who of “all the nations” have eternal reward or punishment. (In the Old Testament there is a confirming prophecy of Jesus’ judgment of the nations as we shall see later.) Fundamentally, these criteria are whether we have provided for or how we have treated four classes of people. They are the poor, the alien, the sick, and the imprisoned. By being the standards by which Jesus will judge “all the nations”, these standards are inherently major teachings and commandments of Jesus. This expression “all the nations” (πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, pronounced “panta ta ethnē in Greek, see end note 1.) is the same expression found in Matthew 28:19 (make disciples of all the nations) and Mark 13:10 (gospel must first be preached to all the nations). And thus, we see from these latter two examples, the term” all the nations” applies as well to all the individuals of the nations.
This scripture is probably mistaken for a parable for several reasons. It follows some well known parables and is separated from the majority (but not all) of the Olivet Discourse prophecies by those parables. Most (but not all) of the Olivet Discourse prophecies are in chapter 24 of Matthew. (The other exception to the latter is Jesus’ last Olivet Discourse prophecy of His impending crucifixion in the first two verses of chapter 26.) Also, in this prophecy of the sheep and the goats, Jesus uses those sheep and goats as an analogy in Matthew 25:32 and as a metaphor in Matthew 25:33. That usage tends to lend the prophecy of the sheep and the goats the appearance of a parable. However, the prophecy nature of Matthew 25:31-40 is established in the first verse where Jesus prophesied His return with the same terms and verbal elements of description as He uses in the universally accepted prophecy of His return in Matthew 24:30-31. Compare “when the Son of Man comes in His glory” of Matthew 25:31 with “all . . . will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” of Matthew 24:30. Also compare “and all the angels with Him” of Matthew 25:31 with “And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call” of Matthew 24:31. Of course I am aware that the trumpet call is for His “chosen ones” or “elect” which precedes His gathering of all the nations. Later we’ll discuss who the “chosen ones” or “elect” actually are and are not.
The Olivet Discourse is not the only Bible scripture foretelling Jesus’ judgment among the nations. In Psalm 110 King David prophecies about God telling Jesus that He will give Jesus ruling dominion over the earth. The first verse of Psalm 110 is “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’" Psalm 110:1 (NASB). This verse with the Hebrew and the transliteration (English phonetic spelling) of the first LORD and second Lord is “The יְהוָ֨ה (Yah-weh) says to my לַֽאדֹנִ֗י (la-do-ni): ‘Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’" (See end note 2.) Yahweh is the name of God the Father and ladoni (which means master or lord in the sense of someone who rules over you) would have to be Jesus (just as the Bible says in Matthew 22:43, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42-4, and Acts 2:34-6) since David was a powerful king who was not the subject of any mortal master. Then, later, in verse 6 of Psalm 110 the Psalm brings forth the prophecy that “He [Jesus] will judge among the nations . . .”
After His miraculous resurrection from His mortal death, Jesus establishes the fact that God has given Him the authority to be the judge among the nations when He informs His disciples that “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Matthew 28:18 (NASB)
Now it should not surprise anyone familiar with the bible that provision for or treatment of the poor, the alien, the sick, and the imprisoned are core commandments for us. The provision for or treatment of these classes of people are emphasized as core commandments throughout the bible. For example, about 1400 years before Jesus, God said, through Moses, “. . . the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the LORD you God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.” (Deuteronomy 14:29, NASB) Over 900 years before Jesus, King Solomon wrote “The righteous considers the cause of the poor: but the wicked regards not to know it.” (Proverbs 29:7, American King James Version, see end note 2) Over 700 years before Jesus, God said through Isaiah, “Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and to the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!” (Isaiah 10:1-2, ESV) Over 500 years before Jesus, God said through Ezekiel, “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom [the city/state destroyed by God in Genesis 19]: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.” (Ezekiel 16:49, NASB) Over 400 years before Jesus, God said, through Malachi, “Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness . . . against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me, . . .” (Malachi 3:5, NASB) And, previously, Jesus had told a rich young man looking for eternal life “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor . . .” (Matthew 19:21, ESV)
The preceding is not nearly a comprehensive list of bible references advocating provision for of the better treatment of the poor, the alien, the sick, and the imprisoned. It is more of an introductory taste for the purpose of illustration.
Now there will almost certainly be those who think that they are exempt from these criteria and standards of judgment by virtue of a supposed inclusion among the “chosen ones” or “elect” who are gathered at the aforementioned trumpet call (a.k.a., the “rapture”). This belief is usually based upon the believer’s professed acceptance of Jesus as their “Lord and Savior”. Well, there are real problems with such a professed acceptance giving one exemption from these criteria and standards of judgment which are inherently major teachings and commandments of Jesus. Acceptance of someone as your Lord means your acceptance of your obligation to obey his commandments. And, as is the case with any true conditional statement, such as the preceding sentence, the contrapositive is also true. That is, denial of your obligation to obey someone’s commandments means denial of that person as your Lord. I realize that we all fail in following the teachings and commandments of Jesus which are also of God and confess that I am certainly a failer/sinner. That’s why we have genuine repentance and why Jesus bled and died on the cross to be our propitiation. Nevertheless, denial of your obligation to obey someone’s commands means denial of that person as your Lord. Jesus said “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21, ESV)
In our society right now we have people who make a big show of professing to be Christians but who simultaneously advocate depriving the poor, the alien, the sick, and the imprisoned. There is a term for them; pseudo-Christian hypocrites! And, given their de facto denial of their obligation to obey Jesus’ commandment, Jesus is not their Lord and it is unrealistic of such persons to expect to be a part of any “rapture.”
One final note; there are some in our country who claim we are a “Christian nation” even though they advocate non-provision for or mistreatment of these classes of people. We should realize that to the extent that we, as a nation, follow this advocacy we are, in fact, being a non-Christian nation.
End Notes
1. “ἔθνη.” ἔθνη. N.p., n.d.
<http://biblehub.com/greek/ethne_1484.htm> (August 20, 2014)
2. “Psalm 110:1, Text Analysis.” Psalm 110:1, Text Analysis. N.p., n.d.
<http://biblehub.com/text/psalms/110-1.htm> (November 26, 2015)
3. “Proverbs 29:7.” Proverbs 29:7. N.p., n.d.
<http://biblehub.com/proverbs/29-7.htm> (August 31, 2014)
<http://biblehub.com/greek/ethne_1484.htm> (August 20, 2014)
2. “Psalm 110:1, Text Analysis.” Psalm 110:1, Text Analysis. N.p., n.d.
<http://biblehub.com/text/psalms/110-1.htm> (November 26, 2015)
3. “Proverbs 29:7.” Proverbs 29:7. N.p., n.d.
<http://biblehub.com/proverbs/29-7.htm> (August 31, 2014)