In Matthew 25 Jesus is speaking in the course of his prophetic discourse. The pericope commences in Chapter 24 of Matthew's Gospel. The content is generally well known for the parables which Jesus presented at this occasion to explain the signs of the end of time: the fig-tree (Mt 24:32–35; Mk 13:28–31; Lk 21:29–33), the five wise and the five foolish young women (Mt 25:1–13) and the three servants (Mt 25:14–30).
Less conspicuous is the fact that in Matthew 24 and 25, Christ and his disciples are in an island situation, isolated from the crowd of family members, followers, Sadducees and Pharisees usually in attendance when Jesus taught in the Temple. Jesus had left the Temple on his way to the Mount of Olives, where he sat down. Our focus is on verses 31 to 46, in which Jesus informs his disciples specifically about his return at the end of time.
It is of importance to note that the Mount of Olives was the place where Christ went to pray to his Father at the end of each day. This practice of our Lord is called to mind here and lends a very particular sincerity and credibility to Jesus' prophetic discourse. Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) points out: “His distinguishing note will be his immediate relation with God, which enables him to communicate God's will and word firsthand and unadulterated.” Here, on the mountain, his disciples came to him in private to ask:
“And what will happen to show that it is the time for your coming and the end of the age?”
Before addressing this question fully, Jesus cautioned them to be on their guard against the many false rumours about his return. Just before finishing and before informing his disciples about his coming crucifixion, Jesus replies to their question about the end times.
Jesus informs them that when he returns at the end of the age, he will be coming as King, accompanied by all the angels, to sit on his royal throne. All the nations will be gathered around but will be separated into two groups. The righteous (metaphorically, the sheep) are to be shepherded to the right of the throne and the others (metaphorically, the goats) to the left. To those on his right-hand side — the faithful of all times, the chosen children of God — Jesus will say:
“Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world.”
It is notable here, at the end of Jesus' prophetic discourse, that he predicts no preparatory inquest, hearing or trial to establish whether the chosen are fit and proper recipients of the heavenly and blessed legacy of the Kingdom. Jesus must have sensed his disciples' surprise upon this disclosure, for he adds, without being asked:
“I was hungry and you fed me; thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me.”
It is obvious that the King receives very ordinary, but life-sustaining favours from the citizens of his kingdom during their lifetime. Absent from the list of favours are items such as vast promises, expensive gifts, difficult tasks, dangerous undertakings and extended pilgrimages. As Christ affirmed elsewhere, “Take my yoke and put it on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest” (Mt 11:28–30). In this prophetic parable the beneficiaries in terms of the legacy (the righteous — verse 46) are so startled and amazed that they enquire: “When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you in our homes, or naked and clothe you? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?” To this, Jesus, the King, will reply:
“I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of my family, you did it for me!”
It is clear that Christ will credit the righteous with having bestowed these favours, under circumstances they were completely unaware of. Barclay comments: “This is one of the most vivid parables Jesus ever spoke, and the lesson is crystal clear — that God will judge us in accordance with our reaction to human needs … it is a case of giving simple help to the people we meet every day … uncalculating reaction of the loving heart … Jesus confronts us with the wonderful truth that all such help given is given to himself and all such help withheld is withheld from himself.” Hendriksen too comments: “It is Christ's unpretentious but sincere follower, who honours him in the common things of life, that is here pronounced blessed.”
In this text Jesus predicts returning to the world from heaven, together with all the angels. He comes as King and takes his seat on a royal throne to receive honour from all who believe — a crowd of jubilant believers of all times, as outlined elsewhere in Scripture.
As far as the believers are concerned, on the day of his return the King's intent and objective will be: (a) to detach and set apart the righteous from the others just as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats (symbolically the unbelievers); and (b) to hand over possession of the Kingdom, their legacy, to the elect, his children.
The Day of Joy about which the Creed is silent
The Day of Joy is not part of Biblical vocabulary. Similarly the words “Trinity”, “Triune” and the idea of child baptism also do not feature in the Biblical vocabulary. However, Scripture supports such a wide justification for distinguishing the Day of Joy from the Day of Judgment, that incorporating the concept in Reformed Christian Biblical and confessional vocabulary would be quite appropriate.
The list of texts that follow directly and indirectly support the concept of a Day of Joy awaiting believers when Christ returns.
Twenty-Two Scriptures of Joy
Matthew 24:30–31
“The peoples of earth will weep as they see the Son of Man appear. The great trumpet will sound, and he will send out his angels to the four corners of the earth, and they will gather his chosen people from one end of the world to the other.”
John 5:28–29
“The time is coming when all the dead will hear his voice and will come out of their graves: those who have done good will rise and live, and those who have done evil will rise and be condemned.”
Romans 2:7–10
“Suffering and pain await them that do evil; but God will give glory and peace to the righteous.”
Romans 5:2–10
“And so we boast of the hope we have of sharing God's glory! … God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to us. … By his blood we are now put right with God; how much more, then, will we be saved by him from God's anger!”
Romans 5:8–11
“God proved his love for us while suffering Jesus to die for us while we were still sinners … how much more will we be saved from God's anger now that we are his friends through the death of his Son!”
Romans 8:1
“There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus.”
Romans 8:16–17
“God's Spirit joins himself to our spirits to declare that we are God's children. Since we are his children, we will possess the blessings he keeps for his people, and we will all possess with Christ what God has kept for him; for if we share Christ's suffering, we will also share his glory.”
2 Corinthians 5:17–18
“Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old one is gone, the new has come. All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us from enemies into his friends and gave us the task of making others his friends also.”
Galatians 3:26–29
“It is through faith that all of you are God's children in union with Christ Jesus. You were baptized into union with Christ, and now you are clothed, so to speak, with the life of Christ himself. If you belong to Christ, then you are the descendants of Abraham and will receive what God has promised.”
Galatians 4:6–7
“To show that you are his sons and daughters, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Father, my Father.’ So then, you are no longer a slave but a son or daughter. And since that is what you are, God will give you all that he has for his heirs.”
Philippians 3:20
“We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven.”
Colossians 1:13–14
“You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right-hand side of God. Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:1–4
“You have been raised to life with Christ … Your real life is Christ and when he appears, then you too will appear with him and share his glory!”
1 Thessalonians 1:9–10
“… his Son Jesus, whom he raised from death and who rescues us from God's anger that is coming.”
2 Thessalonians 1:6–10
“On the Day of Christ's return from heaven with his mighty angels, to punish those who did not obey the Good News about Jesus Christ, he also comes to receive glory from all his people and honour from all who believe. You too will be among them, because you have believed the message that we told you.”
Titus 1:2
“… the truth taught by our religion, which is based on the hope for eternal life. God, who does not lie, promised us this life before the beginning of time, and at the right time he revealed it in his message.”
Titus 3:6–7
“God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ, our Saviour, so that by his grace we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life we hope for.”
Hebrews 9:28
“In the same manner Christ also was offered in sacrifice once to take away the sins of many. He will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are waiting for him.”
Hebrews 10:10
“Because Jesus Christ did what God wanted him to do, we are all purified from sin by the offering that he made of his own body once and for all.”
1 Peter 4:13
“Rather be glad that you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may be full of joy when his glory is revealed.”
1 Peter 5:4
“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the glorious crown which will never lose its brightness.”
2 Peter 2:9–10
“And so the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials and how to keep the wicked under punishment for the Day of Judgment.”
Paul, Silas and Timothy write to the church in Thessalonica to give them the wonderful assurance that on the Day of Joy, they will count amongst the multitude who will meet Christ to honour and glorify him — a timeless message to all believers of all times to fortify their hope of his return (2 Thes 1:6–10).
On the Day of Joy, Christ acts as the King of all his chosen children. His task will be to finally put his children in possession of their legacy, the Kingdom of heaven. Full of joy, they receive the full grace which God prepared for them. Russel justifiably comments: “The sight of Christ at His second coming will thrill the hearts of those who know and love Him with inexpressible ecstasy.”
The joy with which we confess our faith in the forgiveness of sins (Art 10), the delight with which we confess our conviction of the resurrection of the body (Art 11) and the ecstasy with which we confess our conviction in life everlasting (Art 12), are to be faithfully inferred in our confession of Christ's return (Art 7).
Expect a Day of Joy during life already
Christians, children of God through Jesus Christ, know the King whom they expect on the day of his return. He is the same person who sacrificed himself on the cross on their behalf about 2000 years ago. So doing he relieved us of all God's condemnation (Lk 21:28; Rom 8:23; Phil 3:20; 1 Thes 4:16; Tit 2:13–14). Jesus tells the Jews (John 10:30) “The Father and I are one.”
We therefore may accept that against the righteous, on the Joyous Day of Christ's return, no blame, no accusation, no charge or indictment whatsoever can be brought before God's judgment throne. For the Lord has already dismissed all charges against us due to Christ's sacrifice on the cross. We have symbolically been raised from the dead with Christ to enjoy in principle during this life already everlasting, heavenly happiness and peace. There is absolutely no reason for any faithful Christian to be in doubt or in fear or stress about this. The apostle Paul testifies:
“You were at one time spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were Gentiles without the Law. But God has now brought you to life with Christ. God forgave us all our sins; he cancelled the unfavourable record of our debt with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross.”
Also see Psalm 103, especially verse 12: “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our sins from us.”
The contents of John 10:1–30 are noteworthy. Jesus was walking along Solomon's Porch, a part of the Temple, when he took the opportunity of explaining the difference between his followers and the unbelieving Jews to the surrounding crowd. The people challenged him “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? Tell us the plain truth: are you the Messiah?” Their hidden agenda was of course known to Jesus, namely to trap him on a charge of blasphemy so that they could stone him. Jesus replied:
“I have already told you, but you would not believe me. The things I do by my Father's authority speak on my behalf; but you will not believe, for you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never die. No one can snatch them away from me. What my Father has given me is greater than everything, and no one can snatch them away from the Father's care. The Father and I are one.”
These words of Jesus poignantly confirm God's age-old promise according to Isaiah's prophecy:
“Israel, the Lord who created you says, ‘Do not be afraid — I will save you. I have called you by name — you are mine.’”
And this is how we know that God remains in us:
“Those who obey God's commands live in union with God and God lives in union with them. And because of the spirit that God has given us we know that God lives in union with us.”
We who have received this great and gracious blessing without deserving any of it, acknowledge it with humble and grateful hearts and produce fruits befitting the true faith (Art 37 of the Belgic Confession and Chapter 4, paragraph 7 of the Canons of Dort).