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The Judgment of the Nations (Matthew 25:34-40) · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to reformed thinking. You know, usually when we talk
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about a a medical diagnosis, there is this expectation of
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absolute clinical precision. Oh yeah, like structural
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engineering or something. Right.
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I mean, you break your arm. The X-ray shows that jagged
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white line across the bone, and the doctor just points at the
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screen and says, well, there it is.
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Yeah, the binary nature of a physical fracture is it actually
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offers a strange kind of comfort.
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You know, it really does. We prefer our reality to be
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visible, highly categorized, and just undeniable, broken or not
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broken. It is a clean line, but then you
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step into the theological landscape of a final divine
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judgement and suddenly that clinical X-ray machine just
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shatters. It completely shatters.
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Yeah, we are looking at a diagnostic reality today that is
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quite honestly terrifying in its scope.
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So today we are bringing you along on a deep dive into two
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distinct theological expositions of Matthew 25.34 through 40.
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And that is the really famous passage detailing the separation
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of the sheep and the goats, right?
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Yes, that is the one. And our mission today is to
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investigate these specific documents alongside you, because
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they aggressively challenge a very, very common cultural
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assumption. They push back hard.
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They really do, because for century I mean people have used
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this specific text to argue that getting into heaven is simply a
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matter of general humanitarianism.
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Like running community soup kitchens, donating to various
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charities, or just achieving basic moral reform in your local
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neighborhood. Right, just being a good person.
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But the sources we are looking at today argue the complete
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opposite of that popular sentiment.
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So OK, let's unpack this. What is fascinating here is the
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core thesis operating behind these documents.
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I mean, they present this text not as some sentimental
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celebration of general philanthropy, but as a majestic,
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really terrifying disclosure of final judgment.
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According to these expositions, this passage completely refutes
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the concept of work's righteousness.
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It just takes it off the table. Totally.
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Instead, it puts the absolute sovereignty of the King on full
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display. The argument advanced is that
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the Kingdom is reserved exclusively for those blessed by
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the Father from before the foundation of the world.
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So the works come later. Right.
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Any works these individuals do are the inevitable visible fruit
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of an invisible supernatural regeneration.
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OK, before we look at the specific Greek grammar of the
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judgement itself, because I know we are going there, we have to
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understand the physical and psychological scene.
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The setting is crucial. Right, because we need to know
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when and where this conversation is taking place.
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Place, location, and timing completely alter the tone of any
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decree. They absolutely do.
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So the historical context provided by the sources centers
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only all of it discourse. OK, Jesus is sitting on the
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Mount of Olives and we are talking about a time frame just
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days before his crucifixion. Just days.
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Wow. Yeah, he is looking down across
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the Kidron Valley at the massive temple complex in Jerusalem.
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And these are the very buildings he just prophesied would be
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utterly dismantled. Right.
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He predicted that not one single stone would be left upon
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another. I mean, the disciples must have
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been reeling from the psychological shock of that.
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Oh, without a doubt they. Point out these massive,
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beautiful limestone blocks, and some of these weighed hundreds
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of tons, you know? And he casually tells them the
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entire religious center of their universe is coming down.
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And the religious and political tension in the city is at an
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absolute boiling point right now.
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Because of the triumphal entry. Yes, Jesus had just entered the
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city as the son of David. He cleansed the temple courtyard
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of the money changers, and he publicly confounded the hostile
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religious leaders. So he is a massive target A.
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Huge target. Those same leaders are now
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actively plotting his assassination.
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He's been definitively rejected by the nation's elite, right?
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And against that very dark backdrop, he speaks privately to
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his inner circle of disciples. The sources we are analyzing
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note that this text operates within a highly specific
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eschatological timeline. OK, here we go.
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Yeah, the authors are writing from a reformed dispensational,
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premillennial and pre tribulational framework.
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OK, wait, hold on. We just hit a massive wall of
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theological terminology there. I know it is a lot of syllable.
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It is. So let's assume someone
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listening is completely lost. Or maybe they are just dusting
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off some very old seminary terms they haven't thought about in a
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decade. Let's break those categories
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down. Sure, let's take them piece by
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piece. In this specific framework, the
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authors make a vital structural distinction between the nation
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of Israel and the New Testament church.
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OK, they argue, this passage does not describe the Great
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White Throne judgment found in Revelation 20.
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Which is what exact? Oh wait, I shouldn't say exactly
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which is what specifically. The Great White Throne is viewed
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specifically as the final judgment of the wicked dead at
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the very end of human history. They also state this text does
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not describe the Bema Seat judgment.
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The Bema seat is understood as a separate evaluation specifically
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for the church to receive rewards.
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So why wouldn't the church be judged here with the sheep and
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the goats? I mean, why are they absent?
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Because in their pre tribulational framework, the
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Church, the bride of Christ, has already been raptured prior to
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this moment. Oh, I see.
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Yeah. The Church is physically absent
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from the Tribulation events occurring on Earth.
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So if I am tracking this timeline right, the church is
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already gone. What does that mean for the
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world left behind and where does this specific judgement fit in?
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I mean, what does it mean that this is a premillennial event?
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The sources place this specific judgement, often called the
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Judgement of the Nations or the judgement of the Gentiles, at
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the absolute close of the Great Tribulation.
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So right at the end of that seven-year period.
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Yes, the prefix pre in premillennial means this event
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happens immediately prior to the establishment of the earthly
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millennial Kingdom, which is a literal 1000 year reign of
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Christ on earth. OK, so the world has just gone
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through seven years of apocalyptic terror.
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Right. The Antichrist has waged a
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global coordinated war against the Jewish remnant and the
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Tribulation Saints. And these Tribulation Saints,
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they are people who came to faith after the church was
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removed, right? Yes, that is the view.
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True followers of Yahweh have been relentlessly haunted,
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starved, and imprisoned during this time.
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It's a. Brutal scene.
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Extremely. And then the Son of Man arrives
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in visible glory, touching down on the earth to judge the
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surviving nations. OK, think of it like a massive
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corporate restructuring. Let's try an analogy for you
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listening right now. Oh I like this.
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So the old management, which has been incredibly corrupt and
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destructive, is being forcibly thrown out.
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But this moment right here, this judgement, it is not the final
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liquidation of the company at the very end of time.
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Right, which would be the Great White Throne.
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Precisely this is the pivotal intense audit right before the
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new CEO officially takes over the earthly headquarters to run
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it perfectly for a designated period.
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And that designated period represents the millennial
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Kingdom. Yeah.
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Does that track? That is a highly effective way
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to visualize the timeline the authors are presenting.
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The audit is separating who was loyal to the true CEO video
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during the hostile takeover attempt and who was actively
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aiding the enemy. And the authors point out the
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literary flow that gets us to this precise audit.
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Matthew 24 and 25 operate as a cohesive prophetic discourse.
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They flow right into each other. Yes, in chapter 24, Jesus
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details the terrifying signs of the end of the age and the
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absolute necessity of enduring to the end.
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Then he transitions into a series of parables to illustrate
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preparedness. The parables of readiness,
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right? Like the bridesmaids?
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Yes, the parable of the 10 virgins.
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That one distinguishes between outward religious association
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and inward authentic preparedness.
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Half of the virgins have oil in their lamps representing the
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Holy Spirit, and half do not. And then the talents.
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Right, the parable of the talents distinguishing faithful
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servants who actively invest their masters deposits from the
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worthless servant who just, you know, buries his talent in the
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dirt out of fear. But those are all operating on
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the level of imagery, right? I mean, there's symbolic stories
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designed to teach a broader principle.
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True. But then we hit our primary
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text, Matthew 25 versus 31 to 46.
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The sources argue this is the grand, terrifying climax of the
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entire discourse. The tone shifts completely.
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It really does. The Lord shifts entirely away
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from parabolic imagery to literal, stark spatial reality.
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He says when the Son of Man comes in his glory.
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So he is no longer telling a story about 10 bridesmaids.
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No, he is Speaking of a definitive future temporal
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event, a formal royal decree issued directly from the throne
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of universal dominion. Now that the scene is set, we
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really need to look at the very first words the king speaks
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because the sequence of his words is crucial.
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It changes everything about how you interpret the passage.
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Right, the sources argued this sequence completely shatters the
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idea of earning salvation through good deeds.
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Verse 34 says. Then the King will say to those
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on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit
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the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
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world. The author's dive heavily into
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the linguistic analysis of the Greek text here they use this
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grammar to prove their point against any form of works,
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righteousness and what. Specific part of the grammar are
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they looking at. They point out the phrase
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blessed of my father. In the Greek syntax, the word
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used for bless, which is Euler geminoy, operates as a perfect
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passive participle. OK, my eyes are completely
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glazing over at the term perfect passive participle.
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I know it sounds like an advanced linguistics class.
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It does. I barely survived high school
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English grammar. So if I am the guy standing
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there in front of the King of the universe, what does the
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specific tense of that word actually mean for me and my
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eternal destiny? It means everything.
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In Greek, the perfect tense indicates a completed action in
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the past that has continuing permanent results in the
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present. OK.
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Completed in the past, permanent today, Yes.
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And it is passive, meaning the action was done to the subject,
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not by the subject. Oh, that is a huge distinction.
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It really is. The source is called as a divine
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passive. The blessing was definitively
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completed by God the Father in the distant past, long before
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these people ever lifted a single finger to do a good deed
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or offer a cup of water. So their election and their
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blessed state completely preceded any of their earthly
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actions. I mean, he says they inherit the
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Kingdom. And when you think about how
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human families work, inheritance is based entirely on birthright
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and sonship. Exactly.
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Wait, I mean that is spot on. You do not earn an inheritance
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by charging your parents an hourly wage for taking out the
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trash. Right, it is freely given based
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on who your father is. Furthermore, the text explicitly
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states the Kingdom was prepared for you from the foundation of
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the world. Before anything was even
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created, Yeah. The authors explicitly connect
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this phrasing to the Reformed doctrine of the eternal decree
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of God. They reference the Westminster
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Confession of Faith, Chapter 3. What does that chapter outline?
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It asserts that God ordained whatsoever comes to pass from
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all eternity. The preparation of the Kingdom
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and the blessing of these specific people were settled
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before the universe even existed.
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But right after he says they inherit the Kingdom prepared
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from the foundation of the world, We hit this critical
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hinge word in verse 35. Jesus says for I was hungry and
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you gave me food. Yes, the word for causes a lot
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of debate here. My immediate question, and the
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question critics of this view would raise is this.
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Does this word for mean they bought the Kingdom with the food
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they gave? It is a fair question, right?
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What is the function of bringing up the food and water if it
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didn't buy their ticket in? The sources address that
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specific tension by analyzing the Greek conjunction gar, which
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translates to our English word for.
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And what do they conclude about GAR?
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In this specific syntax, the authors argue that GAR functions
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evidentially, not causatively. Evidentially.
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Right. It provides the visible proof of
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their previously blessed state, not the purchasing price of that
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state. Let's use an analogy here to
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make sure this is crystal clear for you listening.
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Think of a professional poker player's tell.
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Oh, like a nervous habit. Yeah, a player wiping their brow
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or tapping their finger nervously doesn't cause them to
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hold a bad hand of cards. The bad hand is a hidden,
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underlying reality. The sweat on the brow is simply
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the visible evidence of that unseen reality.
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That captures the dynamic perfectly.
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The works mentioned by the king, feeding the hungry, clothing the
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naked, visiting the prisoner, are the visible fruit of an
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invisible supernatural regeneration.
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He is the evidence. Yes, the author cite another
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section of the Westminster Confession, Chapter 11, to
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cement this idea. It declares that faith alone
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justifies the Sinner, but justifying faith is never alone
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in the person justified. It always produces something.
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Always it inevitably works itself out through love.
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A dead tree might carry a wooden sign that says apple tree, but
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it cannot produce an actual apple.
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The living tree produces the apple as evidence of the
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biological life already flowing inside it.
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Yes, and the sources use this grammatical structure to
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actively argue against Armenian theological concepts.
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Wait, hold on, You just threw out Armenian and I know the
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notes mentioned Provinian Grace, let's assume I am not familiar
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with those. Debates.
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OK, let's back up a bit. What is the actual theological
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collision happening here? What are these authors pushing
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back against? The collision is over the
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fundamental cause of human salvation.
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Armenian theology generally teaches the concept of
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provinion, grace, and. What is that?
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It is a grace given to all humanity that restores free
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will, allowing an individual to either choose or reject God.
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In some historic Armenian views, God's election is based on his
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foreknowledge. Meaning he looks into the
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future. Basically, he looks down the
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corridor of time, sees who will choose him or who will do good
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works, and elects them based on that foreseen action.
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So the human action is the deciding factor in that view.
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Precisely. But our sources argue that this
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specific passage in Matthew completely destroys that notion.
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Because of the divine passive. Yes, the perfect passive
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participle and the evidential nature of their works mean the
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blessing comes first, entirely independent of human action, and
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the evidence follows as a guaranteed result.
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The sequence is impenetrable. Sovereign divine decree from
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eternity past, followed by the inevitable fruit of the Spirit
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in real time. But you know, if their salvation
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was already locked in and the sheep didn't do these works to
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earn the Kingdom, what was actually going through their
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minds when they handed over the bread or visited the prison?
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That is a great question, and the text answers this by showing
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us their reaction to the King's praise.
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And it is a reaction of genuine shock.
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It really is. Verses 37 through 39 reveal A
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deeply puzzled response. Lord, when did we see you hungry
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and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
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They are completely baffled. Yes, the authors highlight this
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intense astonishment to prove a vital point about the nature of
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true righteousness. Their motives were not
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mercenary. They were not keeping a mental
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Ledger of their good deeds, expecting a massive payout at
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the end of the age. Not at all.
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They had absolutely no idea they were accumulating claims upon
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the Kingdom of heaven. Their mercy was sincere enough
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to be entirely forgetful of itself.
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That is a striking way to put it.
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Forgetful mercy. Yes, the sources note that the
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unregenerate human nature desperately wants witnesses, it
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wants applause, it craves control, and it demands
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meticulous bookkeeping of every moral victory.
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Look what I did. Give me my reward, right?
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But divine grace teaches the human hand to open without
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sounding a trumpet in the town square.
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So what does this all mean? It suggests that regenerated
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love operates on almost a biological level rather than a
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legalistic 1. Going back to the tree analogy,
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yeah. Think about that living branch
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on the apple tree again. A healthy branch doesn't strain
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grown and mentally calculate how to manufacture an apple just to
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avoid being cut off by the gardener.
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It just grows. It produces an apple naturally
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because the life giving SAP of the tree slows directly through
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it. It is just acting according to
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its newly given nature. And that natural unforced
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outflow is contrasted sharply in the sources with the typical
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attitude of religious hypocrisy. Oh, they definitely draw a
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contrast there. The hypocrite approaches God
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demanding a printed receipt. Their attitude is seen over in
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Matthew 7. Lord, did we not prophecy in
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your name and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty
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works in your name? They are intensely, obsessively
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aware of their own supposed merit.
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But the righteous in this passage, acting out of a
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completely renewed nature, simply saw a human need and met
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it. They saw a hungry person and
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offered their own bread. Right, they completely forgot
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the deed 5 minutes later because it was an act of reflexive love,
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not a calculated transaction to buy off a deity.
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They did not imagine themselves clothing Royal Majesty when they
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handed over a coat. I mean they just saw a cold
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needy St. And Christ points out that he
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sees what his people so easily forget.
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He remembers the cup of cold water, the quiet meal shared in
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secret, the dangerous prison visit.
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The righteous are astonished because the King placed immense
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eternal value on obedience they considered incredibly small and
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ordinary. That is the beauty of it.
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So we know the sheep acted out of genuine, reflexive love, but
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who exactly were they helping? The answer to this specific
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question is the most heavily debated part of the entire text.
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Oh, without a doubt. And this is where the sources
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draw a very firm, controversial line in the sand.
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Yes, the exegetical precision of these documents focuses heavily
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on the word translated as brethren in English, the king
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says. Inasmuch as you did it to one of
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the least of these, my brethren, you did it to me.
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The authors contrast three different Greek words to explain
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what Jesus actually meant in this context.
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Let's look closely at those 3 distinct words, because this
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changes everything about how you apply the passage.
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First, there is the Greek word plesion, which means a general
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neighbor. Like the guy living next door.
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Right, or anyone you encounter. Jesus deliberately used this
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specific word in the parable of the Good Samaritan to describe
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general humanity, Anyone who happens to be in your proximity.
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OK, that is word #1. Second, there is the word pok
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chose, which refers broadly to the financially poor or the
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destitute. Just general poverty in the
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world, right? But Jesus did not use either of
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those broad words here. He specifically chose the word
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adelphos, meaning brother. So why does that specific
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linguistic choice change the trajectory of the entire
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passage? Well, the sources explained that
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in both Ancient Near Eastern usage and wider Greco Roman
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literature, adelphos overwhelmingly denotes a literal
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blood relative from the same womb.
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A biological brother, Yes. Or a specific member of an
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exclusive tight knit fraternity. But to understand Jesus, we have
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to look at how Matthew uses the Word within his own Gospel
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narrative. Let scripture interpret
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scripture. Based on Yes, precisely in
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Matthew 1250, Jesus explicitly defines his adelphos.
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He says, For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is
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my brother and sister and mother.
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And later in Matthew 28, he tells the women at the empty
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tomb to go and tell my brother and to go to Galilee.
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It always refers to the inner circle of disciples.
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He defines his family around covenantal obedience to the
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Father, not just biological humanity.
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That is right. The authors argue that in the
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immediate historical context of the Great Tribulation, the least
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of these my brethren refers specifically to the Jewish
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remnant, the 144,000 Witnesses, and the persecuted Tribulation
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Saints. The ones who are traveling the
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globe bringing the gospel of the Kingdom under extreme duress.
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You know, it is fascinating how aggressively the notes we are
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looking at push back against modern cultural interpretations
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of this text. I mean, they are looking
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directly at contemporary religious movements and arguing
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that something critical is being lost or deliberately altered.
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They do not pull any punches. The documents specifically call
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out theological shifts like the Social Gospel alongside modern
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frameworks involving social equity.
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We should note for you listening that we're just relaying what
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the sources say here. We aren't endorsing a particular
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political side. Right.
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Maintaining A neutral reporting stance here, the authors argue
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that these ideologies attempt to replace the necessity of the
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blood atonement of Christ with secular political activism.
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That is a heavy claim. They assert that liberal
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theology insists that Delfon means the globally impoverished
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or marginalized in general, regardless of their relation to
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Christ. And what do the sources call
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that view? They label this an exegetical
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fallacy of the highest order. Wow.
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They summarize their stance by arguing that feeding the secular
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poor, while a good civic duty, does not earn salvation or
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define the parameters of this judgment.
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It is a separate issue entirely in their view.
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Instead, they argued, this specific passage is a targeted
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test of how the Gentile nations treat the persecuted, haunted
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emissaries of the king during a time of unprecedented global
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apostasy. It is a metric of allegiance.
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If we connect this to the bigger picture of New Testament
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theology, the authors tie this dynamic directly to the doctrine
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of union with Christ. Which is a beautiful doctrine.
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It is. They reference a defining moment
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in Acts 9.4. Saul of Tarsus is on the
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Damascus Rd. traveling with official warrants to arrest and
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execute Christians, right. A blinding light flashes from
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heaven, knocking into the ground, and the ascended Jesus
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speaks directly to him. And Jesus asks Saul, Saul, why
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are you persecuting me? He doesn't say.
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Why are you persecuting my followers or my church?
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That is the pivotal mystical connection right there.
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To strike the Church is to strike the apple of God's eye.
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Because they are 1, yes. The King's spiritual union with
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his people is so absolute, so intimately bound together, that
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any kindness shown to them is literally reckoned as kindness
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to him. And any blow struck against them
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is felt by the king of Kings himself.
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The sources argue this doctrine powerfully protects the weak and
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dignifies the most obscure, forgotten believer on Earth.
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So if this passage is primarily about the treatment of
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persecuted believers, what does that look like practically for
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someone listening today? Well, the sources paint a grim
22:30
historical picture of what compassion actually cost in the
22:34
ancient world. Visiting a prisoner or welcoming
22:37
a traveling stranger was not a convenient tax write off or a
22:41
weekend community service project.
22:43
It was exceptionally dangerous. Incredibly dangerous.
22:45
We have to remember that prisons in the 1st century, like the
22:48
Tulianum in Rome, were not state funded correctional facilities
22:52
with cafeterias and medical staff.
22:53
No, not at all. They were dark, subterranean,
22:56
holding cells. If you were in prison, the state
22:58
did not feed you. You relied entirely on people
23:01
outside the prison to bring you daily food and clothing.
23:03
And identifying publicly with a state prisoner could carry
23:06
severe social and legal ramifications.
23:08
I mean, bringing food to a persecuted disciple meant
23:11
walking past Roman guards who noted your face.
23:14
They're watching everyone who comes in, right?
23:16
It meant risking your own association with a despised
23:20
illegal movement. It could cost a person their
23:23
social capital, their economic freedom, or even their life.
23:26
These mercies, these were not abstract virtues debated in a
23:29
classroom. They were concrete acts of
23:31
incredibly costly allegiance. And the sources bring this
23:35
ancient reality into the present day with some very sobering
23:38
modern data. They do, they cite the Open
23:41
Doors 2024 World Watch List. According to this international
23:44
data, over 365,000,000 Christians currently face high
23:48
levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith
23:51
right now. That is a staggering, almost
23:53
incomprehensible #365 million. It is hard outbreaking.
23:57
The text specifically mentioned geographical hotspots like
24:01
sub-Saharan Africa, noting areas like Nigeria and the Sahel.
24:04
What is happening there? The sources state that thousands
24:07
of believers are violently martyred annually by Islamic
24:10
extremists. They point out that enclosed
24:13
authoritarian nations pastors routinely wrought in undisclosed
24:17
prisons. Just for preaching the gospel.
24:19
Yes, and the authors ask a piercing question.
24:22
In light of this data, will comfortable Western believers
24:26
risk their wealth, their reputation, and their comfort to
24:29
stand with them, to fund their sustenance, to advocate for them
24:32
on a global stage? That brings up a very grounded
24:35
question for the average listener though.
24:37
I mean, in a modern Western context where a person isn't
24:40
necessarily dodging armed guards to visit a subterranean prison,
24:43
how do these authors want the local church to apply this text
24:46
on a Tuesday afternoon? To answer that practical
24:49
question, the sources refer back to the Westminster Confession,
24:52
specifically WCF 89 X .6. OK, what does that section deal
24:56
with? It discusses the third use of
24:58
the law. So they are viewing this
25:00
strictly through the lens of the third use of the law, meaning
25:03
this isn't a manual about how to get saved, it's the
25:06
architectural blueprint for how a justified person walks in
25:09
grateful obedience. That is precisely the argument.
25:12
It shows those who are already justified how to please the God
25:16
who saved them. OK.
25:17
The authors argue that applying this passage requires the local
25:21
church to prioritize the household of faith above all
25:25
other philanthropic endeavors. Which means looking very closely
25:28
at the actual people sitting right in front of you in the
25:30
pews. Yes, it means aggressively
25:33
caring for widows within the congregation.
25:36
Structurally remembering disabled members who cannot
25:40
contribute financially. Right, Fully supporting
25:42
international missionaries and advocating for the physically
25:46
endangered global church. It challenges individual
25:48
families to practice embodied inconvenient obedience.
25:52
Like opening their physical homes, stretching their monthly
25:54
budgets, and really just clearing their calendars to
25:57
assist believers in actual need. The sources argue that if a
26:00
person claims to be mystically united to Christ but remains
26:03
utterly cold and inactive toward Christ's needy people, that
26:07
person should tremble at the prospect of final judgment.
26:10
It is a severe warning. That brings us to the evaluation
26:13
of these deeds. The audit is complete, the
26:16
evidence has been presented and it leads to a stark,
26:19
irreversible conclusion. A very heavy conclusion.
26:21
The authors want the listener to feel the massive weight of this
26:25
final decree, verse 46 reads. And these will go away into
26:29
everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
26:33
And here's where it gets really interesting in the Greek.
26:35
Oh, the sources dive into the specific Greek word used in that
26:40
verse to describe both of those destinies.
26:42
Right, the word is Ionian. Ionian.
26:45
Right. The authors point out a
26:46
terrifying, inescapable symmetry in the grammar here.
26:50
The exact same Greek word Ionian, which means eternal or
26:54
everlasting, modifies both the punishment of the wicked and the
26:57
life of the righteous in the very same sentence.
27:00
They use this single word to systematically dismantle other
27:03
popular theological viewpoints. They strictly refute concepts
27:07
like annihilationism. Which is the idea that the souls
27:09
of the wicked are simply extinguished and cease to exist
27:12
after death. Right, Yes.
27:15
Or purgatory, which is the idea of a temporary, painful
27:19
purification process before entering Heaven.
27:22
The grammar does not allow for either, according to these
27:24
sources. It's like a mathematical
27:26
equation where the variable X applies to both sides of the
27:29
equals sign. That is a great way to look at.
27:31
It if X represents duration and you define X as temporary on the
27:35
left side, it has to be temporary on the right side.
27:38
You cannot change the value of the variable just because you
27:41
are uncomfortable with the result on one side of the
27:43
equation. You have to be consistent.
27:45
Right. If the Greek word Ionian defines
27:47
the life of the righteous as infinite and unending, the
27:50
grammar dictates it also defined the punishment of the wicked as
27:54
infinite and unending. It is a mathematical linguistic
27:58
lock the. Logical log is exactly is
28:01
precisely what the authors are highlighting.
28:04
The king making this decree is no longer acting as a wandering
28:06
Galilean teacher. The tone is totally different.
28:09
The sources highlight the massive Christological
28:11
culmination happening in this moment.
28:14
The humble Carpenter who once had nowhere to lay his head,
28:17
unveils himself fully as the eschatological sovereign.
28:21
He is the Panto crater. The Almighty Ruler of all
28:23
things, He possesses the absolute, unquestionable divine
28:28
prerogative to divide all of humanity and assign
28:31
irreversible, eternal destinies. They also tie this final act
28:35
back to the very beginning of the biblical narrative.
28:38
Yes, tracing it all the way back to the foundational Abrahamic
28:41
covenant in Genesis 12.3. Where God tells Abraham, I will
28:45
bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you.
28:49
The authors argue that Christ, operating as the ultimate true
28:52
seed of Abraham, is executing that ancient covenantal promise
28:56
on a massive global scale. So he blesses the nations who
28:59
showed tangible mercy to his brethren, and curses those who
29:03
neglected or attack them. The finality of this separation
29:06
is absolute. The judgement is completely
29:08
irreversible. I mean, think of it like a
29:09
courtroom door that locks permanently from the inside.
29:12
There is no appeals process, no higher court to petition once
29:15
that decree is made. The separation of of the sheep
29:18
and the goats allows for no appeal.
29:20
The modern world may measure spiritual success by crowd
29:23
sizes, social media platforms or polished vocabulary, but the
29:27
King's judgement will ruthlessly expose the truth.
29:31
Expose whether a verbal confession of Christ actually
29:34
produced tangible, costly love for Christ's suffering people,
29:38
right? Well, we have covered a massive
29:40
amount of theological and historical ground today to
29:43
synthesize what these sources are arguing.
29:45
Salvation belongs entirely to the Lord, decided by His
29:49
sovereign decree before the foundation of the world.
29:51
That is the core premise. True regenerating faith cannot
29:54
remain hidden. It naturally makes itself
29:56
visible through active, costly love specifically directed
30:00
toward the. Brethren, it has to produce
30:01
fruit. And finally, Christ intimately,
30:04
mystically identifies with his suffering people, counting their
30:07
earthly treatment as his own. This raises A vital, highly
30:11
personal consideration for anyone reflecting on these
30:14
ancient texts. It really forces you to look
30:16
inward. It does if the King evaluates
30:19
genuine faith not by our public platform, our theological
30:22
vocabulary, or a visible societal success, but rather by
30:26
how we treat the least prominent, most inconvenient
30:29
believer in our local sphere. Yeah, who is the least of these
30:33
sitting in your own periphery right now, whose face you might
30:35
be failing to see? That is a question that demands
30:38
an honest answer. Thanks for joining this deep
30:40
dive on reformed thinking. We will see you next time.