THE 5 PILLARS OF MATTHEW 5.10. The Standard of Judging the Served (Matt 25:31-46)
ESCHATOLOGY THROUGH COMPARATIVE STUDY Daniel 5 Pillars of Matthew Revelation Visible Kingdom Spiritual Kingdom Full Kingdom Israel Church Millennium [[Rise]] [Fall] Restoration 1.Design 2.Presentation 3.Stages 4.Key 5.Transition: from the Spiritual Kingdom to the Full Kingdom Christ in Glory (1) Church Age (2-3) Rapture (4-5) Tribulation (6-18) 2nd Coming (19) Millennium (20) Eternal State (21-22)
5 PILLARS OF MATTHEW 5 Discourses of Jesus in Matthew No.1 The Sermon on the Mount --The Design of the Spiritual Kingdom No.2 The Sending of the Twelve --The Presentation of the Spiritual Kingdom No.3 The Kingdom Parables --The Stages of the Spiritual Kingdom No.4 The Kingdom Life Discourse --The Key of the Spiritual Kingdom No.5 The Olivet Discourse --The Transition of the Spiritual Kingdom Matt 5-7 Matt 10 Matt 13 Matt 18-20 Matt 24-25
LAYERED Q&A IN THE OLIVET DISCOURSE Chiasm in the Q&A of Matt 24:1-34 Backdrop The Beautiful 2 nd Temple Will Fall. Q1 When will all these things (the fall of temple) be? v.3 Q2a Q2b What will be the sign for the beginning of the End Time? What will be the signs for the end of the world and your coming? vv.1-2 A2b 6 signs (= 6 seals in Rev 6) before the 2 nd coming vv.4-31 A2a When the fig tree (state of Israel) revives. vv.32-33 A1 Within one generation (40 years). v.34 Reminder We Are Limited on the Knowledge of the Timing. v.3 v.3 v.35-36
SPECIAL ADDRESSES Additional Issues about the End Time in Matt 24:35--25:46 S1a What Is the Time of Noah Like? 24:37-39 S1b Why Is the Rapture a Biblical Concept? 24:40-41 S2 Why Prepare for Life after the Rapture? 24:42-51 S3 Is the Time of Tribulation Short-&-Easy? 25:1-13 S4 Is the Judgment of the Servants Is Unreasonable? 25:14-30 S5 How Will the Served Be Judged? 25:31-46
THE STRUCTURE OF THE OLIVET DISCOURSE The First Half of the Olivet Discourse Has a Chiasm: Backdrop (24:1-2); Q1, Q2a, Q2b [α & β] (24:3); A2bα (24:4-26) & A2bβ (24:27-31)], A2a (24:32-33), A1 (24:34) Reminder (24:35-36). The Second Half of the Olivet Discourse Also Has a Clear Structure: S1a = The End of the Church Age Is Like Noah s Days (24:37-39) S1b = The Rapture Is Removing the Restrainer to Wrath (24:40-41) S2 = The Need of Preparing to Life after the Rapture (24:42-51) S3 = Tribulation Will Not Be Easy (25:1-13) S4 = The Lord Judging the Servants Is Not Harsh (25:14-30) S5 = The Lord Judges the Served by Receiving the Least (25:31-46) The Hebrew Matthew Preserved And/Again Jesus Said to the Disciples before A2bα, A2bβ; S1, S2, S3, S4, and S5.
31 Again Jesus said to his disciples: JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS When the Son of Man comes in his revelation with his angels, then he will sit up on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them as the shepherd separates the sheep and the goats. 33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. (Hebrew Matthew 25:31-33)
JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS 31 "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. (Greek Matthew 25:31-33 NAU)
RECEPTION OF THE LORD 34 Then he will say to those on his right; enterblessed (of) my father and inherit for yourselves the kingdom of heaven prepared for you from the creation of the world until now. 35 Because I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me to drink, I was a wayfarerand you took me in, 36 naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. (Hebrew Matthew 25:34-36)
RECEPTION OF THE LORD 34 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inheritthe kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' (Greek Matthew 25:34-36 NAU)
RECEPTION OF THE LEAST 37 Then the righteous will answer: O our Lord, when did we see you hungry and satisfied you, (thirsty) and give you to drink, 38 naked and clothed you, 39 sick and visited you, in prison and came to you? 40 The king will answer and say to them: Truly I say to you that every time you did it to one of the needy of these (my brothers), even the little ones like these, you did it to me. (Hebrew Matthew 25:37-40)
RECEPTION OF THE LEAST 37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' (Greek Matthew 25:37-40 NAU)
REJECTION OF THE LORD 41 Also he will say to those on his left: Depart from me you cursed and go into the eternal fire, to the place prepared for you, with Satan and his angels, 42 because I was hungry and you did not give me to eat, I was thirsty and you did not give me to drink, 43 I was a wayfarer and you did not take me in, naked and you did not clothe me, and in (prison) and you did not visit me. (Hebrew Matthew 25:41-43)
REJECTION OF THE LORD 41 "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' (Greek Matthew 25:41-43 NAU)
REJECTION OF THE LEAST 44 Then they also will answer and say to him: When did we see you, O our Lord, hungry, thirsty, or a wayfarer, naked, sick, or in prison and were not with you serving you? 45 He will answer them and say: I say to you that wheneveryou did not do this to one of these needy, even the little ones like these, you did not do it to me. 46 Then these will go into eternal abhorrencebut the righteous into eternal life. (Hebrew Matthew 25:44-46)
REJECTION OF THE LEAST 44 "Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' 45 "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46 "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matt. 25:44-46 NAU)
WORK SALVATION? The Catholics Interpret the Least Ones as the Economically Disadvantages Ones (the Poor). Jesus Said that Receiving (Doing Good to the Needy) the Least of His Brothers as the Condition for Entering the Kingdom of Heaven and Eternal Life; while Those who Reject them (Not Doing Good to the Needy) Are Destined for the Eternal Fire (Hell). So According to Them, the Bible Explicitly Taught that Salvation Is according to Works, in Addition to Faith in Jesus Christ. The Lutherans, Reformed, and Anglicans Accepted Reformations Salvation by Faith Alone, but Could Not Harmonize with This, because They Still Keep Amillennialism.
3 KINDS OF THEOLOGIES There Are 3 Kinds of Theologies Bases on the Means of Study: Biblical Theology: Finding All the Data (Sayings) in the Bible about a Topic; Harmonizing Them, Formulating What the Bible Says about a Topic. Systematic Theology: Treating Theology as a Philosophy of Metaphysics (Knowledge about the Invisible Beings). Deriving the Harmonized Conclusions about God etc. Based on Logic and a Set of Presuppositions. Historical Theology: Studying What a Historical Person s Thought on Theology, e.g. Augustine s Theology etc.
10 MAJOR DOCTRINES 1. Bibliology: On the Bible 2. Theology Proper: On God the Father 3. Christology: On Jesus Christ 4. Pneumatology: On the Holy Spirit 5. Angelology: On the Angels (Including Demonology) 6. Anthropology: On Human Beings 7. Hamartiology: On Sin 8. Soteriology: On Salvation (Including Sanctification) 9. Ecclesiology: On the Church (+ Israelology?) 10. Eschatology: On the End Time (+ Kingdom Theories)
HISTORICAL POSITIONS IN ESCHATOLOGY 1. Apostolic Dispensational Premillennialism : Believing that Jesus Would Come Back in 1 Generation on A.D.73, and Rapture the Church at 66. [1 st Century] 2. Patristic Historical Premillennialism: The Early Church Fathers Believe that Jesus Would Come Back to Set up the Kingdom of God at the 6000th Year from Creation, Which from the Chronology of LXX Was Close to Them. [2 nd -4 th Century] 3. Christian Roman Realized Eschatology: Believing that the Kingdom of God Has Arrived as the Christian Roman Empire, with Caesar as Christ s Vicar, and the State > the Church. [4 th -6 th Century, Still Held by the Eastern Orthodox Church from the 11 th Century till Now]
HISTORICAL POSITIONS IN ESCHATOLOGY 4. Roman Catholic Amillennialism: In Order to Explain How the Kingdom of God (Christian Roman Empire) Could Have Fallen to the Barbarians, Augustine Reinterpreted that the Kingdom of God Is Not the State, but the Church. Satan Is Partially Bound; Battle of Good and Evil till the End; Staying in the Church = Being in the Kingdom of God. The Church > the States; the Pope Is the Vicar of Christ [Catholics, 6 th Century till now] 5. Protestant Denominational Amillennialism: The Reformers Changed the Soteriology to Faith Alone etc., but Inherited the Eschatology of the Catholics, only to Change the Church from Roman Catholicism to Protestant Denominationalism. [16 th Century till Now]
HISTORICAL POSITIONS IN ESCHATOLOGY 6. Colonial Postmillennialism: The Puritans Believed that Christians Must Work to Establish the Kingdom of God, and They Will Reach an Ideal Society, Which Is the Millennial Kingdom, and Christ Will Arrived after the Realized Utopian Age to Accept the Kingdom and Reward His Servants. The Western Colonialism, the British Empire, and the Founding of the United States Are Bases on This Philosophy. [17 th -19 th Century] 7. Liberal Postmillennialism: While the Christian Missional Fire Went Down, Liberal Theology and Social Gospel Turn Postmillennialism into Progressivism. The Society Will Go to a Progressive Direction Defined by the Elites thru Using State s Power. E.g. Prohibition, the War on Poverty, the War on Drugs, the Exporting of Democracy etc. [19 th Century till Now]
HISTORICAL POSITIONS IN ESCHATOLOGY 8. Standard/Zionist Dispensational Premillennialism: John Nelson Darby of the Plymouth Brethren, C.I. Scofield of the Scofield Study Bible, Dallas Theological Seminary, Are Prominent in Promoting the Differentiation of Israel and the Church, Literal Interpretation of Prophecy, and the Divine Will for the Restoration of Israel. It Believes that Christ Will Come Back before the Millennium (thus the Pre-millennialism), and the Church Will Be Raptured before the Tribulation (Pre-Trib Rapture). It Believes that Roman Catholicism Is Babylon the Great, the Great Harlot; Many Speculated that Communist Russia Is the King of the North, while the Antichrist Will Come from the Revived Roman Empire in Europe [20 th Century]
HISTORICAL POSITIONS IN ESCHATOLOGY 9. Non-Standard Dispensational Premillennialism: Differ Only on the Rapture: Mid-Trib, Post-Trib, Partial, and Pre- Wrath. They Believe that the Church Will Share the Sufferings during the Tribulation, Which Is Designed for Converting the Jews. 10. Broadened/Post-Zionist Dispensational Premillennialism: Keeping Pre-Mill & Pre-Trib, Realizing that Roman Catholicism Is a Christian Branch (though Corrupted), Zionism Was Done by Cabbalistic Jews (though Permitted by God), Babylon the Great Is False Religion (including Catholicism, Islam and Cabbalism/ Freemasonry), the Roman Empire Never Really Died, and the 7 th Head Is the Ottoman Empire, etc. etc.
ESCHATOLOGY: NOT THE LEAST IMPORTANT It Is true that Eschatology Does Not Define Orthodoxy Monotheism, Trinitarianism [Including Chalcedonian Christology], and the 5 Alones of Reformation Do. Chalcedonian Christology: Christ Is 100% God and 100% Man. 2 Natures, 1 Person. Divinity and Humanity Do Not Combine, Mix, or Separate. 5 Alones of Reformation: Salvation: Faith, Grace, & Christ Alone; Authority: Scripture Alone; Purpose of Life: the Glory of God Alone.
ESCHATOLOGY: NOT THE LEAST IMPORTANT Eschatology Influences the Views on the Nature of the Kingdom of God (Providential, Visible, Spiritual, Full). Eschatology May Determine How People Interpret in Regarding to Soteriology: Salvation by Faith Alone (Protestantism) or Faith Plus Works (Roman Catholicism). Only a Dispensational Reading of Matt 24-25 Can Harmonize the Parables in Matt 25 (esp. the Parable of the Sheep and Goats) with Salvation by Faith Alone. The Olivet Discourse Is about the Tribulation in General. Matt 25 Focuses on the 4 Factors of the Tribulation: the Beginning Event (Rapture); 1 st Half ( Easy Time ), 2 nd Half ( Witnessing Time ) and the Ending Event (2 nd Coming).
DISPENSATIONAL SOLUTION Paul Is the Least of the Apostles because He Was the Latest Ordained Apostle: 9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. (1 Cor. 15:9-10 NAU) The Least of the Brothers = the Latest Ordained Servants = the 144000 Jewsish Evangelists during the Tribulation. Receiving the 144000 = Receiving the Gospel => Sheep. Rejecting the 144000 = Rejecting the Gospel => Goats. Salvation Is by Faith Alone, Not Faith Plus Works. Doing Good to the Disadvantaged Is still a General Virtue.