The last two Sundays in the church year—this Sunday and next—focus on the end times. Scripture presents a very simple and clear order of events concerning the last day. Sadly, false teachers have created many confusing and complex interpretations of the end times. Numerous books and movies promote a distorted view of Christ’s second coming. Therefore, beware of false prophets.
The hymn we just sang—The Day Is Surely Drawing Near (LSB 508)—was written by Bartholomäus Ringwaldt. He was a Lutheran pastor in Germany during the late 16th century. His hymn provides a clear and faithful ordering of the events of the end times. Let us look at this hymn alongside our Holy Gospel for today and other passages from Scripture.
The hymn starts off …
The day is surely drawing near;
When Jesus, God’s anointed,
In all His power shall appear;
As judge whom God appointed.
The second coming of our Lord is surely drawing near, yet the date of His return remains unknown. No one knows the day or the hour. Scripture warns us not to set a date for Christ’s return. Instead, we are always to be ready, living lives of repentance—a sorrow over sin—and faith in the forgiveness of sin.
Our Holy Gospel for today says that on the last day, Jesus will “come in His glory, and all the angels with Him” (Matt. 25:31). For us, this will not be a day of fear, but a day of joy. We will stand up and lift up our heads, for our full redemption will draw near (Luke 21:28). Our Lord’s return will be a source of hope and joy for us because He comes to bring us eternal life.
Stanza two:
The final trumpet then shall sound; And all the earth be shaken,
And all who rest beneath the ground; Shall from their sleep awaken.
But all who live will in that hour,
By God’s almighty, boundless pow’r, Be changed at His commanding.
When Christ returns, all the dead will be raised. The same bodies that died will be raised to life. Body and soul will be reunited, and the glorified body will be incorruptible and immortal. Jesus said, “A time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out” (John 5:28). He also said, “My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40). At my father’s committal service at the cemetery, I said to myself, “On the last day, my dad will someday come out of this coffin with a glorified body.” I said the same thing when my mother died. We confess in both the Apostles’ and Nicene Creed in the resurrection of the body on the last day.
Someday, you will rise with a glorified body. Because Christ rose from the dead, you too shall live. Unbelievers, however, will rise to eternal death.
After the resurrection of the body, all people will be caught up to meet our Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:13–17). Our Holy Gospel for today says, “Before Him will be gathered all the nations … And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left” (Matt. 25:32–33). All believers in Christ will be to His right, and all unbelievers will be to His left. Then Christ—sitting on his throne—will judge the world. We confess in both the Apostles’ and Nicene Creed that Jesus will come to judge both the living and the dead.
Stanza three:
The books are opened then to all, A record truly telling
What each has done, both great and small, When he on earth was dwelling,
Christ will know whether there is faith or not. He will know whether one has loved their neighbor or not.
Jesus noticed that all those who have faith in Christ naturally loved their neighbor. They gave food to the hungry and water to the thirsty. They welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, and visited the sick and those in prison. Their love toward the neighbor flowed freely from faith in Christ.
So also, for you. With faith in Christ, you gladly give food to the hungry and clothing to those in need. You visit the sick in the hospital or nursing home. You write a get-well card or bring a meal to those who are grieving. You love and care for one another in your vocations as husband and wife, father and mother, son or daughter, employer or employee. You do not perform good works in order to be saved. You are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ. You love others because God in Christ first loved you.
Stanza four:
Then woe to those who scorned the Lord; And sought but carnal pleasures,
Who here despised His precious Word; And loved their earthly treasures!
With shame and trembling they will stand
And at the judge’s stern command; To Satan be delivered.
Woe to those who have rejected the Gospel. Jesus will say to those on his left, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Who will experience eternal damnation? John the Baptist said, “He who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). Jesus Himself said, “He who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). And again, “Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man will also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38). The reality of hell stands as a warning to each of us lest we fall away from faith in Christ.
God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Rather, He wants the wicked to turn from their ways and live. In our Epistle lesson we learned that God wants all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Christ died for the sin of the whole world. He suffered the wrath of God on the cross. His death was the atoning sacrifice for all sin. He died and rose again, and the blessings of His cross and resurrection are taught, preached, poured out in Holy Baptism, and given in Holy Communion. Because of what Christ has done, there is forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
Yet unbelief says, “No, thank you.” Scripture is clear that those who hear the Gospel and reject it will be condemned on Judgment Day. Since they have rejected the Gospel, then the Gospel cannot save them. Eternal damnation is the consequence of their unbelief. Hell is the worst fate that can befall anyone. Again, this is a warning to each of us lest we fall away from faith in Christ.
Those on our Lord’s left will ask Jesus, “When did we see You hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, or in prison?”
Jesus was hungry when He fasted forty days and forty nights during His temptation. He was a stranger when he was forsaken in the Garden of Gethsemane by his own disciples. He was counted among the transgressors when He was crucified between criminals. He was stripped naked. They divided His clothing by lot. As He hung on the cross, He was thirsty, yet they only gave Him vinegar.
Did you do anything to help Jesus? We were not there—yet had we been, we would have fled like the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. We would have denied Jesus like Peter. We would have been more concerned about our own comfort and safety than defending Jesus.
Inwardly, we are naked in sin. Our righteousness was stripped from us in the Garden of Eden. We are like lost sheep—strangers wandering from the fold. We hunger and thirst not only for daily bread, but also for righteousness. We are imprisoned in the house of death with no escape on our own. By nature, we are deserving of eternal damnation.
Stanza five:
My Savior paid the debt I owe; And for my sin was smitten;
Within the Book of Life I know; My name has now been written
I will not doubt, for I am free
And Satan cannot threaten me; There is no condemnation!
The author uses the first-person pronoun. He says, “My Savior paid the debt I owe” and “I will not doubt, for I am free.” And you can say the same thing. Jesus paid your debt of sin. He paid it not with gold or silver but with his holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death. Jesus was smitten in your place and on your behalf. Therefore, you are free. In Adam you are a slave of sin, but in Christ you are free. In Adam you have a sinful nature, but in Christ you are righteous and holy. Satan cannot threaten you. In Christ, there is no condemnation.
You were a stranger, like a lost lamb, but through your Baptism, Jesus brought you into His fold. You were naked in sin, but Jesus clothed you with His righteousness. You were sick with iniquities and God absolved you. You are hungry and thirsty, and Jesus gives you His body and blood.
Stanza six:
May Christ our intercessor be; And through His blood and merit
Read from His book that we are free; With all who life inherit.
Then we shall see Him face to face,
With all His saints in that blest place, Which He has purchase for us.
Christ is your intercessor pleading before the Father for you and on your behalf. It is through Christ’s blood and merit that you are free.
On the last day, Jesus will say to you, “Come you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” The gift of eternal life is just that—a gift, an inheritance—not something that you earn by your works. Eternal life has been purchased for you by the blood of Christ.
Our Epistle lesson talks about the creation of the heavens and the earth. There we will see Christ face to face with all His saints in that blest place. We will begin the full enjoyment of being with Christ forever. There will be no sin, no death, and no suffering. We will be reunited with all who have died in faith. There will be a great wedding feast with unending joy. We will see God, and God will dwell with us forever.
The last stanza is a beautiful prayer which we often pray:
O Jesus Christ, do not delay, But hasten our salvation;
We often tremble on our way; In fear and tribulation
O hear and grant our fervent plea:
Come, mighty judge and set us free; From death and ev’ry evil.
While we remain here on this fallen earth, we are often filled with sorrow. There is fear and tribulation. There is sin and suffering. But Christ is our hope and joy. He is our refuge and strength. He is our Savior. May our Lord’s precious Gospel and Sacrament keep and preserve us in the one true faith.
Yes, come, Lord Jesus, come. Come and set us free from this fallen world. In Your time, come and bring us to our eternal home. Amen.
