Apocalypse Now

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”â

(Matthew 25:31-46 NLT-SE)

Most every preacher/teacher/theologian has a place in the Scriptures that compel them more than others.

This passage is the one you would hear me refer to over and over again if you were in my church.

To my great edification, David Bentley Hart recently preached on the passage…far better than I can, but with many of the same points.

The sermon is behind a pay wall (I paid) but I have outlined it here.

 Reinterpreting Matthew 25 (Sheep and Goats)

• Corporate Judgment: The “separation” is pronounced upon nations and peoples, implying that God judges societies and polities based on their collective history and treatment of others.

• Moral over Dogmatic: The criteria for judgment are entirely practical (mercy, feeding the hungry, visiting the prisoner) rather than religious (baptism, church membership, or dogma).

• Linguistic Nuance: The preacher notes that terms like aeonios and kolasin may refer to the “chastening of an age” rather than eternal durative punishment.

 The “Immanent” Judgment

• Judgment as Fait Accompli: The Final Judgment is not a future event Christ passes upon us; it is a current revelation of the judgment we have already passed on Christ through our actions.

• The “Now” of Judgment: Drawing from the Gospel of John, the sermon argues that the light of Christ is currently exposing our hearts. We are “always already” standing before the judgment seat.

• Christ in the “Least of These”: To fail to recognize Christ in the suffering, the refugee, and the prisoner is to choose “hell” as one’s proper place in the present moment.

 Critique of the Modern Nation-State

• National Accountability: A nation that responds unworthily to the vulnerable has no claim to the loyalty of its citizens and is described as “damnable” by biblical criteria.

• The Current Crisis: The sermon explicitly denounces modern cruelty, bigotry, and the mistreatment of migrants and “darker-complexioned” people as a “satanic” rejection of Christ.

• The Victim as Judge: Christ is identified with the “abused migrant,” the “kidnapped child,” and the “beaten citizen.” Our reaction to these individuals is our reaction to God.

The Eucharist as a “Fiery Coal”

• Personal Choice: The sermon concludes by placing the choice of “life or death” in the hands of the listener.

• Sacramental Warning: Taking the Eucharist while aligning with “merciless regimes” is presented as a dangerous act. The bread and wine will either purify or burn (damn) based on whether the recipient has shown mercy to the “Lord of glory” hidden in the poor.

Judgment…both for nations and individuals is happening now…based not on dogma, but on action or inaction toward those in need.

Make your own application…