Heaven or Hell
The Rev. Lou Tiscione, Pastor, Weatherford Presbyterian Church (PCA)
After a week of speeches filled with empty words, spoken by those who have acted in opposition to those words, I found myself being reminded of the “bottom line.” What does this confusion over empty rhetoric mean in the end? It indicates to me that all of this world is passing away. In keeping with God’s word, men and women will continue to suppress the truth in unrighteousness until Christ returns. Therefore, let us think about the ultimate reality.
Jesus taught about ultimate reality. One of His most frequent themes was judgment. Jesus said that there will be a final accounting (Matthew 11:20-24). He instructed His disciples to fear the One who can destroy both body and soul in hell (Matthew 10:28).
Jesus was a master teacher. He used parables to teach His followers about the Kingdom of God. He also used those same parables to confuse those who were destined to perish (Matthew 13:10-17; Isaiah 6:9-10). All the parables of Jesus have a cumulative effect. Each one builds upon the previous. The final parable, Matthew 25:31-48, is about judgment. It is undeniable to all who read the Bible that God is holy, and He will judge the world. Judgment has been given to the Risen Lord Jesus. When He returns, He will put an end to all that is unholy, evil, and deceitful.
Jesus declared the day of judgment. He said, it is “When the Son of Man comes in His glory” (Matthew 25:31). The exact date was not specified. But, clearly, the day of judgment is what the prophet Joel referred to as “the Day of the LORD”. The Apostle John was given a vision of that day, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. From His presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them” (Revelation 20:11).
Jesus used the title “Son of Man” most often when speaking of Himself. This was a familiar Old Testament description of the Messiah, the King of Righteousness. Jesus said that He would come in His glory. That is, when He returns, He will not come as the Savior, but as the King who has all glory and honor and power. He will come sitting on His glorious throne. This is figurative language describing the absolute power and authority that Jesus possesses and will exercise.
The initial actions of King Jesus are clearly stated. Jesus said that He will have all nations gathered before Him. No one will escape this divine appointment. Immediately, Jesus said that He will separate the sheep and the goats. The sheep are described as those “who are blessed by My Father” (Matthew 25:34). They are said to inherit the kingdom that was prepared for them from the foundation of the world. In other words the sheep are those whom God chose in eternity to be in Christ (Ephesians 1:4-6).
In the parable, Jesus described characteristics of sheep. The sheep discovered that as they ministered to Jesus’ brothers, they were ministering to Jesus. The sheep’s behavior was not a checklist of reasons for being “sheep”. It was a declarative statement that described the behavior of sheep.
The Bible teaches that those who are in Christ live differently by God’s grace in the Holy Spirit. In the context of the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, sheep live like sheep. James wrote about the genuineness of saving faith. “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). The Apostle Paul also wrote concerning the lives of “sheep” (believers). “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
The Parable ends with the fact of an eternal hell. Jesus said, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” The unimaginable horror of hell is to experience the unbridled wrath of God for eternity. The “goats” are commanded by Jesus to depart from Him. Their eternal home was prepared by God for the devil and his angels. The goats will share this residence forever. The bottom line is the ultimate reality of heaven and hell. God has chosen those who will live with Him forever. This truth is not meant to tickle men’s ears; but that we may all live our lives in readiness to meet the holy God. There are only two eternal destinies, heaven or hell.
