In Part 1 of our look at the Olivet Discourse and the question of whether our eternal destiny will be determined by our pursuit of social justice, we overviewed the Discourse,  and made the following observations:

• The Olivet Discourse answers the disciples’ question about the sign of Christ’s coming and the end of the age.
• During the interval between Christ’s First and Second Comings, His disciples should expect disaster, war, false prophets and apostasy.
• Immediately preceding His return will be a period of such intense suffering that, if it were not shortened for the sake of the elect, all life would be wiped out.
• He will return with power and great glory, at which time all the elect will be gathered.
• Only God knows the exact time of His return. Just as in Noah’s day, mankind will be caught off-guard. They will not understand until they are taken away in judgment, leaving only the righteous behind.
• In light of this uncertainty, His disciples should be alert for His return, when they will be rewarded, based on their faithfulness.

This brings us to the final section of the Discourse. In it, the “nations” are gathered for judgment at His return. He will separate them into sheep and goats, based on their treatment of the the hungry, thirsty and naked, the sick, the strangers, and the imprisoned. Care for these groups is equated to care for Christ. Those who provide this care are judged as sheep, and invited to inherit the kingdom. Those not responding are considered to be goats – who have, in effect, ignored Christ, and are condemned to the eternal fires prepared for the devil and his angels.

To understand Jesus’ message, we must identify the various characters, as well as the setting depicted.

The central character is the Son of Man at His Coming. This, of course, is Christ, at the return about which the disciples inquired (24:3). Having come, He now takes His place on His throne. This development shifts the focus to the final part of the disciples’ question – “what will be sign of. . . the end of the age?”

At Christ’s Second Coming, the current age will end. What will mark this ending? The gathering of all the nations for judgment, with the righteous receiving the kingdom, and the accursed ones being sent away in to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

And it is this gathering and judgment that we set out to explore. Are we involved in this judgment? Is our eternal condition decided here?

To answer this we must begin by recognizing that Scripture speaks of at least two other judgments, each distinguished by their unique characteristics.

The Judgment Seat of Christ

• In 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, Paul says that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. There, each will be recompensed, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
• In 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, we discover that this judgment tests the quality of each person’s work in the building up of the body of Christ (see Ephesians 4:11-16).
• The verdict will involve either reward, or loss thereof (1 Corinthians 3:14-15).
• Since it evaluates works built on the foundation of Jesus Christ (3:11-12), only believers are involved.
• Those who fail the test will loose all their rewards, but they will still be saved (3:15). Eternal destiny is not at stake, providing further evidence that this judgment involves only believers.
• It will occur when the Lord comes (1 Corinthians 4:5), at which time the “dead in Christ” will be resurrected, and the living saints will be “caught up with them. . . to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

The Great White Throne Judgment

• Described in Revelation 20:11-15, the Great White Throne Judgment is preceded by the Return of Christ (Revelation 19:11-21) and His 1000 year Kingdom (Revelation 20:1-6).
• It involves the resurrection of the dead (20:13). Since the “dead in Christ” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) and the saints martyred by the beast (Revelation 20:4) were resurrected over 1000 years earlier, they are not part of this resurrection.
• Eternal destiny is at stake (20:15).
• Those resurrected at this time will be judged according to their works (Revelation 20:12-13). These deeds, as recorded in the “books of deeds” will be insufficient for salvation; only if their name is recorded in a different book – the book of life – will they be saved (20:15). Since the saints who died in Christ and the saints from the Tribulation have already been resurrected, the only “dead” remaining are the unbelieving dead, none of whom will be in the book of life.

The Judgment of the Sheep and Goats

Against the background of these two judgments, let’s consider the judgement in Matthew 25. Critical differences distinguish it from either of these other judgments.

• Neither the Judgment Seat of Christ, nor the Great White Throne Judgment involves a sorting or separation of the righteous from the unrighteous, which is an essential element of the judgment in Matthew 25.
• The issue at the Judgment Seat of Christ is rewards. Here, eternal destiny is at stake.
• The Great White Throne Judgment follows the time when Christ comes and takes His throne by 1000 years. Here, the judgment takes place right after Christ’s return, as He assumes His throne.

Recognizing these critical distinctions, we see that 1) there are at least three distinct judgments, and 2) we are not involved in the judgment of Matthew 25. Since we are alive now, before the coming of Christ, we know that we will be caught up to meet Him in the air at His Coming, at which time we will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, and receive rewards . . . or not. Thus, we cannot be in the group who is still on earth after His return, and who are being judged for the purpose of determining, not rewards, but eternal destiny.

While this truth may bring relief, it raises a critical question. If all of the saints meet the Lord in the air at His return, who is left on earth that could be described as the “righteous sheep” in Matthew 25:34-40? Until we answer this question, and identify the goats, our conclusion is, at best, tentative.

We will take up these questions in Part 3.