The Judgment of the Wicked

 

As we’ve worked through this study on delighting in the triune God, we’ve seen that the whole of our lives is meant to be an act of worship. We’ve seen that we were made to find our delight in God, and we cannot find rest or satisfaction until we turn to him. So, there are basically two ways to walk in this life. we can walk after God, seeking his will and finding our meaning and purpose and fulfillment in him. Or, we can walk after Satan, attempting to find meaning and purpose and fulfillment in our own sin and rebellion. Because of the fall of Adam, everyone is born into that sinful bondage. As Paul puts it, we are slaves to sin and the devil. It is only by God’s grace that we are brought out of that bondage and set free to walk after Jesus Christ.

In this sinful world, it is so hard to walk after Christ. The ways of this world seem so delightful to us. It just seems so natural to be self-serving, to seek our own success, to pursue our own passions, to give into our own lusts. It seems so difficult and unnatural to serve others, seek the glory of God, and to resist the temptations of the flesh. It seems so unrewarding because, at least from our earthly point of view, the wicked get exactly what they want while the righteous suffer. The wicked indulge their every desire, and then they die. And, the righteous resist their desires for the glory of God, and they die, too. Worse yet, the wicked do horrible things against the righteous. They persecute and abuse them, and then they die and are forgotten.

While that might be the way things appear from here on earth, that is not the reality of things. The Bible reveals that there is a final judgment coming, and in that judgment, God will right every wrong. God will judge every misdeed of the wicked and he will reward the righteous. As we close this study in the doctrine of worship, I want to end by looking at this final judgment in two parts. This morning we will consider the judgment of the wicked in Hell, and next week we will take a look at the reward of the righteous in Heaven. To understand both Heaven and Hell, let’s read Matt. 25:31-46 together. This morning I want to understand the judgment of the wicked in Hell by answering three questions: what is Hell? Why does Hell exist? And who is destined for Hell?

Before we can answer those questions, there are two general points that I need to make from verses 31-33. First, it is a popular belief in our society to think that Jesus was sort of this hippy figure who was all about love and peace and unity. Many in our culture believe that Jesus only taught that we should love our neighbor. They hone in on Jesus’s statement in Matt. 7, “Judge not that you be not judged”, and then they look bewildered at Christians who talk about eternal judgment. But the true Jesus – the Jesus that the Gospels reveal – preached regularly about judgment and Hell. In fact, Jesus talks far more about Hell than he does about Heaven, and Jesus also talks about Hell more than any other character in the Bible. Central to his teaching on Hell is the fact that he, as the Son of God, will be the final judge of the world. In verse 31, Jesus says that the “Son of Man” (that’s him) will come in his glory to sit on a throne of judgment. Understand, friend, when Jesus came in his first incarnation, he was born in a barn and laid in a manger, but when he comes again, he will sit on a great throne of judgment. In his first incarnation, only shepherds and wisemen heard, but in his second coming, he will come with the blast of a trumpet and a shout, and the whole earth will see him. In his first incarnation, he came to save those who were lost, but in his second coming, he will come to judge the living and the dead.

The second general point you need to understand is that Jesus knows exactly who you are. Notice in verse 33 it says that he will separate all of humanity between sheep and goats. In the OT, sheep represented God’s chosen people. Think of Psalm 23, “the Lord is my shepherd…”, or Psalm 95:7, “we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.” Also, in the OT, goats represented those who were outside of God’s people. In the sacrificial system, a scapegoat was used to represent that casting away of the sins of the people of Israel. Right now, the sheep and the goats are mingled together, and if you’ve ever dealt with sheep and goats, you know that when they are mingled together, they can be difficult to tell apart. Yet, at a word from Jesus, the sheep and the goats are separated. Friend, you need to understand that Jesus knows exactly who you are. You might put on a good show, play the good Christian, do the church thing, but deep down inside you have no faith. You don’t really believe this stuff. You really don’t want to walk after God. No one in this room can know that, but Jesus does. On the last day, he will call you what you are and there will be nowhere to hide. In verse 41, Jesus, the great judge, turns to the goats on his left and pronounces “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire.”

Now that we understand those two facts about the final judgment, let’s get into our questions about Hell. First, we have to ask, what is Hell? Notice, again, in verse 41, Jesus calls the place of judgment “eternal fire”. There are three different Greek words used to refer to Hell: “Hades”, “Gehenna”, and “Tartaroo”. Some have read into these three different words the possibility that there are three different levels or places for Hell. While I do think there is some ground for believing that there will be different levels of punishment in Hell (e.g., false teachers are warned with greater punishment), I think these three Greek words are meant to describe the same place.

The Greek word, “Hades” is most often used in general terms to refer to the place of the dead. In Luke 16, Jesus tells the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. In verse 23, the rich man describes Hades as a place of unquenchable thirst. Next, the word, “Gehenna” means “the valley of Hinnom”. This was a valley just outside of Jerusalem that was a trash dump. Because of the decomposition, this valley constantly smoldered and burned. You can just imagine the smell and sight of a smoldering trash heap. Lastly, “Tartaroo” is used in 2 Pet. 2:4 to describe the place to which God condemned the fallen angels. Peter describes it as a place of chains and gloomy darkness. I think you get the picture of what Hell is. Hell is a place of eternal torment and anguish.

Next, we need to ask, why does Hell exist? Jesus gives us this answer in verse 41. Hell is the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. And, in verse 46, it says that Hell is “eternal punishment”. So, Hell exists as a place of punishment for those who have rebelled against God. Ultimately, Hell exists to prove the worthiness and holiness of God. Remember, there are two ways in this life - the way that pursues the glory of God, and the way that pursues our own glory. If all of creation is made to glorify God, and the pinnacle of Creation – humanity – fails to bring glory to God, what does that rebellion deserve? You see, friend, your little acts of selfishness, your refusal to submit to the will of God, your lustful indulgences against the will of God – they are all a slap in the face of the Almighty, infinite, holy God of the universe. They are not small, meaningless deeds. They are acts of rebellion that reverberate into eternity! Therefore, they deserve eternal judgment.

Finally, we need to ask, who will be sent to Hell? Jesus gives us this answer in two parts. First of all, Hell was prepared for Satan and his angels. Now, before you wipe your brow and think, “Whew, I’m free to go”, let me remind you of something we’ve already studied. John 8:44 says, “You are of your father, the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.” Eph. 2:2 says, “You once walked following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” Remember, friend, there are two ways. You are either in Christ, or you are in Satan. You are either a child of God or a child of Satan. There is no middle ground! You are not an unbiased observer, determining which side is right and wrong, you are a slave to Satan if you are outside of Christ! So, if Satan will be judged and thrown into Hell, all of his children will be, too!

Then, Jesus makes a controversial statement in verses 42-45. Remember, in this scene, Jesus is sitting on his throne of judgment, and before him are all of the nations, including the Jews. The Jews had the laws of Moses. They knew what was right, and from all outward appearances they did what was right. They had extensive programs that fed the poor. They had strict moral codes that judged the evildoer. Yet, when the very Son of God came to them, they rejected him, beat him, and hung him on a cross to be humiliated before the whole world. Now, in judgment, Jesus looks at these people who thought they deserved to be sheep, and he reveals who they really are. He condemns them because they did not care for the least of their brothers. Notice, in verse 44, they are shocked and ask, “when did we not do these things?” You see, they had all the appearances of righteousness but none of the heart. They didn’t recognize Jesus in the least of their brothers, and now Jesus does not recognize them.

Friend, salvation is not found in pursuing your own way in this life. Salvation is not found in playing church either. Salvation is found in the way of the cross. Salvation is found in repenting of your sinful desires to glorify yourself, and instead turning in faith to Jesus as the only one who can save you. This Son of Man who will sit on his throne and judge the world is also the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus lived in complete obedience to God, giving to God the glory that we should have given him. Jesus died so that you would be forgiven of your rebellion against this infinitely holy God. Judgment is coming, and it will be decisive and clear. No sin will be hidden. Jesus will expose you for exactly who you are. Your only hope of escape is in the grace of Jesus. Won’t you turn to him in faith today?

Brothers and sisters, Hell is real, and it is hot. Our neighbors, friends, and family members will go there unless they hear of the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. The horribleness of Hell should shake us to action because we want to see people escape its terrible judgment. It should motivate us to give to support missions. It should embolden us to tell others about Jesus. May we go boldly into this next week, fearful for our neighbors, and ready to tell them of the hope that is found in Jesus.