Connect Isaiah 10:3 with Matthew 25:31-46 on accountability and judgment. Facing the Day of Reckoning Isaiah 10:3: “What will you do on the day of punishment when devastation comes from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth?” The King’s Final Review • “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.” • “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these My brothers, you did for Me.’” • “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Shared Themes of Accountability • An appointed “day” is certain—Isaiah calls it “the day of punishment”; Jesus calls it the coming of “the Son of Man … in His glory.” • No human refuge—Assyria’s wealth (Isaiah 10:3) and the goats’ excuses (Matthew 25:44) collapse equally. • Universal scope—Isaiah warns an empire; Jesus gathers “all the nations.” • Personal responsibility—oppressors in Isaiah and negligent goats in Matthew answer for their own choices. • Eternal outcomes—ruin for the proud (Isaiah 10:16-19) parallels “eternal punishment,” while God preserves a remnant (Isaiah 10:20-22) just as the King welcomes the righteous “into eternal life.” What Fails Us on That Day • Wealth and power (Isaiah 10:3) • Religious identity without compassion (Matthew 25:41-45; cf. James 2:15-17) • Political alliances (Isaiah 30:1-3) • Self-justification (Romans 2:5-8) What Commends Us to the King • Active mercy—feeding, welcoming, clothing, visiting (Matthew 25:35-36) • Humble trust—turning to the Lord rather than to “horses and chariots” (Psalm 20:7; Isaiah 31:1) • Enduring faith expressed through love (Galatians 5:6) Eternal Stakes • Sheep: “eternal life” (Matthew 25:46) • Goats: “eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46) • Every person: “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10) • Certainty: “It is appointed for men to die once, and after that judgment” (Hebrews 9:27) Living in Light of That Certain Day • Examine motives—why we give, serve, or accumulate (1 Colossians 4:5). • Practice tangible compassion—seek out “the least of these” as though serving Christ Himself. • Hold possessions loosely—use them for kingdom purposes rather than clinging to them for security. • Cultivate watchful hope—looking for the King’s return shapes daily priorities (Titus 2:13-14). • Rest in Christ’s righteousness—obedience flows from salvation, not as a substitute for it (Ephesians 2:8-10). |
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