The events of Christ’s second coming culminate in judgment, which is the Great Separation(Matthew 25: 31-46). The events that will characterise the separation are raised as questions and answers provided in line with the scriptural text. Matthew 25:31-46
Great Separation of the Second Coming of Jesus
1. When shall the separation be?-Matthew 25:31-32
The great separation shall occur when the Son of Man comes again, not in obscurity but in glory. Christ’s second coming will be for judgment; the two greatest future events are the return and judgment by the Lord Jesus Christ.
The judgment event will occur in the presence of all the angels, at the throne of judgment, and at the gathering of all nations. It is world history’s consummation, examination, and judgment. The whole heavenly world will be present at that event. It is going to be the most significant mass meeting of all time.
2. What shall be the nature of the separation?-Matthew 25:33
The separation is illustrated by how a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats-he places the sheep in his right hand and the goats in his left. It is the Great Divorce, an awful separation of all persons. The separation is characterised by a simple sentence-the godly on His right hand and the wicked on His left.
It will not be based on such divisions among human beings as the rich versus the poor, the learned versus the unlearned, or the white versus the black. All that will be abolished, and the great distinction based on righteousness will remain forever. This is why Christians need to shun all manners of discrimination and uphold righteousness.
3. Who will do the separation?-Matthew 25: 33
The Son of Man, the King, will carry out the separation. The time will be over for people to decide where to belong. The previous parables centre on warning Christians of the coming judgment to make the right choice and avoid wrath.
But at the judgment, there will be no more time to determine their destinies forever Christ, in His sovereignty, knows shepherd knows precisely which of his flock are sheep and which are goats. At the last judgment, Christ will proceed with people following who they are by their choices on earth.
4. Who are the sheep?-Matthew 25: 34
The blessing is a gift, and a special one, for that matter, “The kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
5. Who are the goats? Matthew 25:41
The goats are those who are cursed because they failed to repent. The damnation of the wicked is of themselves; they have been persistently forewarned, so their final judgment should not come as a surprise.
The curse is a reference to human responsibility and not predestination. Their choice of consistently rejecting the love of God for them and their fighting the wrath and judgment of God against their deeds are the very reasons they are cursed.
The portion of the wicked is the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. The truth remains that world history has been structured with a split ending.
6. What shall be the basis for the separation?-Matthew 25:35-40, 42-46
The separation between the sheep and the goats will be based on people’s choices and commitment to the kingdom business(Matthew 25:35-40,42-46).
In this parable, Jesus honours social service-providing food and drink, not being too quickly spiritualised; some have run into the error of considering. Someone thus observes correctly when he remarks:
About Love of God
But some have thought that this passage does make salvation by faith in Jesus a secondary matter since, in our text, “love,” not Christ, is the final mediator between God and persons. But what human love is ever sufficiently loving to deserve God? And who speaks this text, promises it, and guarantees it with his death and resurrection? Not merely human love.
A much greater price than the love of fallen human beings must be paid to access the holy God. That price has been paid by the blood of Jesus Christ exclusively. But now, in incredible kindness, this Christ swings heaven’s door open to let in simple caregivers. Jesus’ sermon on the Last Judgment is his extended commentary on the Fifth Beatitude: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Jesus promises this, not a “liberal” Christianity.
Faith in Christ
Faith in Christ is what makes people righteous through the blood of Jesus. In the parable of the judgment, the Son of Man refers to the sheep as “the righteous,” a spiritual status attainable only through the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. Good deeds, therefore, do not represent an alternative gospel but a service that accompanies regeneration.
What Makes a Jusdgement of God
The King will judge the nations based on how they have responded to the gospel of the kingdom already preached to them. This also indicates that true messengers of the gospel can only successfully evangelise the world as they embrace poverty and suffering for Christ’s name.7
The fact that Jesus says, “You did it to Me,” also points to an extension of the love of Christ through those who have experienced it. Jesus wants us to see Him in our fellow Christians and demonstrate our love for Him by loving them.
Our refusal to attend to the genuine needs of fellow Christians when it is in our power to help is a denial of the love of Christ, which we claim to have experienced, and every claim to express our love to Christ cannot be real.
Individual and Church Roles about the Second Coming of Jesus
Often, we have tended to separate between spiritual and secular life; we are one person at church and a different one at home and the workplace. We create a double standard of living for ourselves. We forget that we are Christians until we get to church.
As a result, we live a life of deceit. However, our exposure to the truth about Christ’s return should challenge us to live for God in church or at work. Given the truth of the imminence of our Lord’s second coming, all of us must cultivate heaven’s consciousness. As we conclude this study, a few things are necessary individually and corporately.
The Church Must Preach and Teach about the Second Coming
Since we know and believe that the second coming of our Lord is a sure future prophecy that is imminent, we must preach and teach about it so that people can be aware and take the necessary steps required for proper preparations for it. If the New Testament is so replete with instructions about Christ’s second coming, nothing should preoccupy the pulpit today like the teaching about it.
If John Nelson Darby confirms, “Nothing is more prominently brought forward in the New Testament than the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Then, we cannot open the pages of the New Testament daily and pretend not to notice the most dominant message there, that Jesus is coming back soon.
The Church Must be Heaven Conscious
Christians must demonstrate full awareness that life consists not only in what happens on earth but, most importantly, in the hereafter. They must live as people who are conscious of heaven. Although we may not experience the rapture while alive, we will face the end reality of life: death.
We must all live in full view of the truth that life on earth is temporal and is fast running to its end. We should choose to serve God and our fellow human beings and not live as though life has no end. We must constantly prepare for the second coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Will you be ready when the Lord shall come?
The Church Must Do the Work of Missions
We must do mission and engage in the work of evangelism in our daily secular professions. Matthew 28:19-20 is our Christian mandate, and it is necessary, given all that has been emphasised in this study, that Christ finds us faithfully carrying out our mandate when He comes.
This is a significant aspect of our readiness for the Lord’s second coming. Matthew 24:14 leaves us with the responsibility of spreading the good news all over the world.
However, we must be careful of confining the second coming of Christ to our commitment to carrying out this responsibility as if we are to determine the time of His coming by faithfulness or otherwise. Christ will return whenever the Father wills, but He must find us faithfully committed to our global mission mandate.
The Church Must Be Serious about the Warnings
The church must take the warnings of Scripture very seriously about the imminence of the events of the second coming. We should not pretend we are unaware of the realities of the fulfilment of specific prophecies about the Lord’s return.
If the first-century Christians were so eager and earnest in their expectations of, and preparations for the Lord’s return, then we of the twenty-first century must do much more than that. The time of the second coming of our Lord is nearer now than ever. What is your response to these things?
Everyone Must Be Born Again!
This study will not be a blessing unless you resolve to take specific steps crucial in our preparations for the Lord’s return.
First, you must be born again. Christ is not returning to save sinners (He did that at His first coming) but to judge them. He is coming to rapture a radiant church without stain, wrinkle, or any other blemish (Ephesians 5:27).
This is why it becomes crucial for everyone partaking in this study to be sure they are born again. You can do so if you are not yet born again. All it requires is confessing Jesus as your Saviour, accepting Him as your Lord, admitting that you are a sinner, and asking Him for forgiveness.
Jesus will forgive you and wipe away your sins with His blood that was shed for the remission of sin. It was experience peace as the Holy Spirit comes into your life to dwell with you. If the Lord. Jesus is waiting for you to return; His arms are wide open, and He will warmly receive you.
Everyone Must Have a Personal Relationship with God
You need to create or improve your relationship with God daily. You will discover the Bible (the Word of God)as a vital resource for relating to God. Prayer is equally essential.
Create an altar of fellowship between you and God, calling on the Holy Spirit to help you daily. You draw strength in your communion with God, which can keep you focused in the face of several distractions.
Everyone Needs to Belong to the Church
You must belong to a church where your Christian life can be nurtured. One purpose of the church is to provide spiritual nourishment to all worshippers. Indeed, you need this kind of fellowship where you can constantly saturate your soul with the presence of God.
Congregating with people who share in the same blessed hope of the return of Christ goes a long way in providing encouragement and support for our souls as we eagerly wait for the glorious appearance of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
The doctrine of the second coming of Christ points to events at different times in human history, culminating in the end of the age. Jesus’ disciples asked three main questions: when the temple would be destroyed, when His coming would be, and the events of the end of the age.
The first aspect of the prophecies relating to His response has been fulfilled in the destruction of the temple in A.D.70 and the associated happenings. The next significant event waiting to happen in fulfilling the prophecies relating to the second coming of Christ is the church’s rapture.
The church must prepare for it by helping its members know the truth about it and the necessary preparations for the event. The end of the age will follow the rapture, but our preparations for that remain the same with everything we are to do to be ready for the rapture. MARANATHA! COME, LORD JESUS!
