The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 25 Part 7 Jesus Will Send All Sinners To The Flames Of Hell

Matthew 25:31-40  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 

Jesus concluded this section of His Olivet Discourse that began in chapter 24.

He spoke of a day of final judgment and heaven's full triumph over the powers of darkness.

Cosmic calamities will occur, and the sun, moon and stars will not shine at His command.

The heavens will be rolled up like a scroll and the earth shall experience major earthquakes.

Jesus will return to establish His kingdom on earth and He will judge all nations.

He will divide people and nations into sheep or goats.

The sheep will be composed of mainly Jewish people who heard the 144,000  Jewish witnesses faithfully proclaim the gospel of Christ.

There will be some non Jewish people (Gentiles) who will also hear and heed the gospel.

During the last half of the tribulation period, the Jewish people will once again be under immense pressure from the forces of darkness.

All those who believe the gospel and reject worship of antichrist, and refuse to take the mark of the beast, will be sought out for execution.

During the last half of the tribulation period, other people will shelter the Jewish people fleeing persecution.

Much like during the Holocaust, people will bring them food, care for them when ill, clothe them when naked, and comfort them in prison.

These are also sheep and Jesus said that when they assisted the Jewish people in their hour of need, it was the same as if they had rendered that service to Christ.

Psalm 23:1-6  A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. 

Although Psalm 23 is often preached as a funeral text, it is much broader than that application.

One can see even more beauty and comfort in King David's words as we think about how the antichrist fueled by Satanic rage, will try to exterminate God's people.

It tells all who trust God to save them, that Jehovah is our shepherd and that He provides for the needs of all His sheep.

He feeds us nourishment from His living Word.

He gives us the clean, pure waters to drink deeply from the fountains of His indwelling Spirit (See John 7:37-39).

He protects His sheep from the evil ones.

He saves us from our sins by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost (See Titus 3:4-6).

He walks with us through death and we awaken in His presence.

He prepares a table for us even though enemies threaten to overwhelm us.

His mercy will never run out, His grace will always be sufficient for our needs and believers will dwell with God forever.

We see echoes of these truth applied to the sheep whom Christ invited to stand at His right hand, at the day of final judgment.

As Christians living today, we experience new mercies and new provision and fresh protection from God each day, until the moment He calls us home to heaven.

Thus the sheep belonging to God are blessed and fully cared for by Christ our great shepherd (See John 10).

Jesus then turned His attention to the goats gathered on His left hand.

Who are the goats?

Matthew 25:41-46  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. 

The goats represent all the wicked.

Goats are ones who refused to love and serve God.

They only cared about satisfying their own fleshly lusts.

Goats are symbolic of all evil, corrupt and wicked sinners whom Christ will judge and condemn to Hell.

Psalm 1:4-6  The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6  For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. 

Psalm One tells us about the blessed man living a life blessed by God.

Psalm Two tells us about a Psalm One man living in a Psalm Two world that is full of sin and rebellion.

Chaff is worthless material that is separated from the good wheat that can be made into food.

In ancient times, tools were used to toss up both wheat grain and chaff in the air, and the lighter chaff would blow away in the wind, while the good wheat fell to the threshing floor.

Chaff is separated from wheat which reminds us that God will separate sinners from His children at the time of final judgment.

Thus, the King David ends Psalm One with the stout declaration from God that sinners will not stand among the righteous ones who put their faith in Christ for salvation.

Psalm 9:5  Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever. 6  O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them. 

King David wrote this Psalm and his Holy Spirit guided words tell us that at the day of final judgment, Jesus will rebuke sinners for their wicked ways and stubborn refusal to hear and heed the gospel.

He will put out or erase their name forever and all Christ rejecters, and vile sinners will be judged and suffer eternal condemnation.

Proverbs 10:7  The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot. 

King Solomon was David's son and he was given a great supply of wisdom from God.

The wise king tells us that people will recall the sheep of God with happy and cherished memories.

However, the name of each wicked sinner will rot, just as they will suffer in the flames of Hell.

The contrast could not be more stark between the eternal destiny of the wicked and the saints who put their faith in Christ.

Matthew 13:49-50  So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50  And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus gave the Parable of the Net where good fish are caught along with bad fish.

The bad fish are separated out and cast into the fire, picturing Christ's angels severing the wicked from the saved saints, and casting them into the eternal fires of Hell.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9  And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8  In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9  Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 

Paul spoke of the coming of Christ in the air for His church in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica.

In his second letter to them, he spoke of the same judgment day Jesus spoke of in Matthew 25. 

The Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.

He is coming with flaming fire to take vengeance which is the idea of exacting revenge or punishing all who do not know God. 

Those who refused to hear and heed the gospel will be punished with unending destruction and banishment from the presence of their Creator.

This is why we labor in Great Commission work today, because we want people to hear Christ's gospel and be born again into His kingdom.

Psalm 119:115  Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God. 

In this text, the Psalmist tells us that those who refuse to obey God's commandments are evildoers.

Psalm 139:19  Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. 

The wicked are appointed to judgment and eternal condemnation.

All those who pretend that God does not exist, in that day will suddenly find out that God is all that scripture declares Him to be. 

Those who live in wicked depravity as if God's commands do not mean anything, will find that God's commands are His moral standard by which all wicked shall be judged and condemned.

Revelation 20:10-15  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. 

Final dismissal of the goats representing all wicked through all history, will occur at the Great White Throne judgment.

When Christ comes with His saints to judge the wicked, all sinners will flee from His presence, with fear and trembling.

They will find no hiding place from the eternal Son of God.

All wicked will be brought before Christ, and like the goats on His left hand, be consigned to eternal suffering in Hell.

Every single person whose name is not recorded in the Lamb's book of life will suffer this fate.

Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Notice Jesus' sober words about this day of final judgment.

The everlasting flames of Hell were never intended for humanity. God created it to eternally punish the Devil and all the unholy angels who followed his rebellion against God.

What does this imply for us?

First, that we must seek to have the Father's heart toward sinners, because He is not willing that any should perish in that terrible place.

The Father wants all sinners to repent and trust His Son, and He wants to save all people (See 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9)

Second, that we must be faithful witnesses for Jesus Christ, sharing His life changing gospel with those who do not yet know Him.

This is the work of the Great Commission and not only must we share Christ's gospel, but we must live in accord with it.

Third, we must remember that spiritual warfare is going on around us non stop.

Though we cannot see into the unseeable spiritual realm, we certainly observe the effects of spiritual warfare in this world.

Satan goads people to satisfy fleshly lusts and to commit sin by doing all things that God says not to engage in.

Therefore, we must daily pray to the Father to gird us with the gospel armor that He provides, so that we can stand for Him and upon His truth each day (See Ephesians 6:10-20).

Numbers 32:23  But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out. 

Scripture remains true and a sinner will never get away with transgressing God's law. 

He is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent.

When as sinner draws his or her last breath, they will stand in the presence of Holy God and He will judge them according to their sins.

They will not be able to speak a word against His judgment because God judges in truth and righteousness.

My hope and prayer is that each Reader is a born again child of the living God.

My hope and prayer is that we will live for the glory of God each day until He calls us home to heaven.

My hope and prayer is that we will share the lifechanging gospel of Christ with people who do not yet know Him.

May our Lord have His way in each of our hearts!

Bob