“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” (12:35–48)

The Bible teaches that human history will end when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth to take His people to be with Him, establish His kingdom, and punish the wicked. The second coming of the Son of God marks the end of the world as we know it. Scripture is as clear and trustworthy on Christ’s second coming as it is historical on His first coming. The return of the Lord Jesus in full glory is an essential, central doctrine of the Christian faith, not a secondary, speculative sideshow. Acceptance of it is mandatory, not optional.

In fact, in some ways the doctrine of the second coming is the most important truth of all. It identifies and describes the culmination of redemptive history, encompassing the judgment of the wicked, the blessing of the righteous, and the final and permanent exaltation and glory of the King of kings and Lord of lords. It unambiguously marks the end of history, when God’s purpose from before history’s beginning will be completed after its conclusion. Every detail revealed in Scripture concerning the culmination of God’s redemptive saga will be fulfilled with absolute precision. Therefore anyone who depreciates, obscures, misrepresents or abandons the truth concerning Christ’s return comes perilously close to bringing divine judgment upon themselves:

Yet despite the Bible’s clear warning against tampering with the doctrine of the second coming, many well-intended Christians do just that. Although Scripture’s description of the rest of redemptive history is precise and accurate, they somehow imagine that the end of the story is vague and uncertain. But tampering with the doctrine of the second coming corrupts biblical prophecy and tarnishes the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some deny the second coming altogether, such as the adherents of the eschatological view known as hyper-preterism or full preterism. Mainstream preterism holds that the tribulation prophecies in Revelation 6–19 were fulfilled in the past. The only event left on the prophetic calendar is the literal, bodily return of Jesus Christ to end history and bring judgment on the wicked. Hyper-preterists take that view one step further. Misinterpreting Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:34, “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place,” hyper-preterists insist that all of biblical prophecy—including the second coming of Christ—was fulfilled in the events surrounding the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

This radical view of prophecy relegates not only Christ’s second coming, but also the resurrection of the dead and the great white throne judgment to the past. Adherents say that no prophecy of Scripture remains to be fulfilled, so that this present universe is the new heavens and the new earth promised in Isaiah 65:17, 66:22, 2 Peter 3:13, and described in Revelation 21 and 22. Sin will never be finally purged from God’s creation. Satan has already been defeated as much as he is going to be. There is no physical, bodily existence beyond the grave; believers exist as eternally disembodied spirits in God’s presence, while unbelievers are cast from His presence to live forever in the same form. Hyper-preterists treat such passages as 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, 1 Corinthians 15:22–24, 53–54, and Philippians 3:21, which clearly promise a bodily resurrection from the dead, as allegories describing spiritual, not literal, realities.

Such radical views of prophecy have disastrous consequences, undermining virtually every fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith. As noted above, they deny both the second coming of Christ and the bodily resurrection of the saints. But denying the literal, bodily return of Christ means denying His bodily ascension, since as the angels told the apostles, “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Even more alarming, denying the bodily resurrection of believers entails denying the bodily resurrection of Christ, whose resurrection is the pattern for all who will rise from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20–23). Amazingly, some hyper-preterists have no qualms about taking their view to that extreme and, in a lame effort to be consistent, conclude that Christ, too, rose from the grave spiritually, not physically.

Of course, denying the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ destroys the Christian faith. The apostle Paul bluntly warned the Corinthian believers, some of whom were, like contemporary hyper-preterists, denying the bodily resurrection (1 Cor. 15:12), “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins” (v. 17). Like Hymenaeus and Philetus before them, hyper-preterists “have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and … upset the faith of some” (2 Tim. 2:18). (I critique hyper-preterism in my book The Second Coming [Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 1999], 9–13.)

At the other end of the spectrum from those who deny the second coming are those who sensationalize Scripture’s teaching on that future reality. They do so by interpreting the Bible’s teaching regarding the future through the lens of current events. That approach to prophecy has generated endless speculation about how certain people or events supposedly have fulfilled various prophecies. For example, some were convinced that the catastrophic events of the First World War heralded the coming of the Apocalypse. Later, others suggested that Hitler, Mussolini, or Stalin were the Antichrist.

After the Second World War a spate of books appeared claiming that the rebirth of Israel as a nation in 1948 triggered the countdown to Armageddon. Like the hyper-preterists, their authors misinterpreted Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:34. They claimed the “generation” of which the Lord spoke was the one alive in 1948, and hence Armageddon could not be more than forty years away. All were, of course, proved wrong when the rapture, tribulation, and Armageddon failed to materialize by the end of the 1980’s.

Even worse, despite the Lord’s explicit declaration, “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone” (Mark 13:32; cf. Acts 1:7), there has been no shortage of date setting regarding Christ’s return. One popular writer on biblical prophecy convinced thousands of people that the rapture and the beginning of the tribulation would take place in 1988. He wrote a runaway best seller, 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988, wherein he boldly predicted that the rapture would take place in September of that year during Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year). Undaunted when the rapture failed to take place as predicted, the book’s author wrote another book the following year purporting to give 89 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1989. Needless to say, that book also was wrong. Still another false prophet wrongly claimed that the Lord would return in 1994. Seventeen years later he predicted that Christ’s return would take place in 2011. All predictions were bogus.

But while some deny the second coming outright and others sensationalize it, far more Christians simply appear to be indifferent to it. To them, the return of the Lord is a tertiary doctrine of limited importance, generating endless speculation and controversy while having little practical value in everyday lives. An earthbound Christianity, with its man-centered theology, “Christian” psychology, pragmatism, and pseudo-sanctified materialism (prosperity gospel), is too focused on the here and now to have any real interest in the second coming. The implication is that this life, which is but a fleeting vapor that soon vanishes (James 4:14), is more important than the life to come. What God has planned for the future is far more blessed than anything this present life can offer. To lose sight of the reality that no earthly benefit can compare to the joy and blessing Christ will deliver when He returns is disobedient and foolish.

Underscoring its profound significance, the Bible reveals at least ten reasons why the Lord Jesus Christ must return to earth bodily in the same manner that He left (Acts 1:11).

First, the promise of God demands it. The Old Testament contains more than three hundred prophecies of the coming Messiah, more than one hundred of which were fulfilled in the first coming of Jesus Christ. That leaves at least two hundred prophecies remaining to be fulfilled at His second coming. For example, in Psalm 2:6–9 God promised that His Son would be King over all the earth and rule with a rod of iron. Isaiah 9:6–7 describes His reign as from David’s throne. Micah 4:3 and Jeremiah 23:5 also speak of Christ’s earthly rule. Zechariah 14:4–9 graphically describes His return to earth to reign as King. God cannot lie (Titus 1:2) and will not change His mind (Num. 23:19). The promises He has made demand that the Lord Jesus Christ return to fulfill them.

Second, the claims of Jesus demand it. During His earthly ministry He repeatedly referred to His second coming (e.g., Matt. 24:27, 30, 37, 39, 44; Mark 13:26; 14:62; John 14:2–3). He gave an extended and detailed discourse (Matt. 24–25) on the events surrounding His return, and alluded to it in numerous parables (e.g., Matt. 24:45–51; 25:1–13; 25:14–30; Luke 19:12–27). The concluding chapter of the Bible records Jesus’ promise to come again in His own words (Rev. 22:7, 12, 20). Christ’s veracity and credibility are thus inextricably tied to His second coming.

Third, the testimony of the Holy Spirit demands it. The “Spirit of truth” (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13) inspired the human writers of Scripture (2 Peter 1:20–21), who repeatedly wrote of Christ’s return (e.g., 1 Cor. 1:4–7; Phil. 3:20; Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 4:16–17; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; James 5:7–8; 1 Peter 1:13; 5:4; 1 John 3:2). The Spirit, along with the Father and the Son, testifies that Jesus Christ will return to earth in triumph and glory.

Fourth, God’s program for the church demands it. Having gone to prepare a place in heaven for His people (John 14:2), Jesus will one day return to take them there (v. 3). The New Testament pictures the church as betrothed to Christ (2 Cor. 11:2), who will one day return for His bride (cf. 1 Cor. 1:7; Phil 3:20; 1 Thess. 1:10; Titus 2:13) and take her to the marriage feast (Rev. 19:6–9).

Fifth, the corruption of the world demands it. The return of Jesus Christ is the blessed hope of believers. But for the unbelieving world it is the terrifying prospect of immediate judgment, as the Lord Jesus Christ brings destruction, devastation, and death to the ungodly (cf. John 5:25–29; 2 Thess. 1:7–10; Jude 14–15; Rev. 19:11–16) and establishes His righteous kingdom. The final chapter of earth’s history will be written by Jesus, the world’s rightful heir (Heb. 1:2; cf. Rev. 5:1–5), when He returns.

Sixth, the future of Israel demands it. The elect remnant of Israel will one day repent and be saved. In Ezekiel’s vivid imagery, the dry bones will come to life (Ezek. 37) when, as God promised

Paul wrote that “all Israel will be saved” when “the deliverer [the Lord Jesus Christ] will come from Zion He will remove ungodliness from Jacob” (Rom. 11:26). That promised cleansing and salvation of Israel requires Jesus to return to earth.

Seventh, the vindication of Christ demands it. It is inconceivable that the last view of Jesus the world will have is one of Him hanging on a cross between two criminals. No unbelievers saw any of His post-resurrection appearances. His resurrection glory, seen only by believers, has not yet been manifested to the world, but that will change one day. At Christ’s second coming, the whole world will see “the sign of the Son of Man … appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30; cf. Rev. 1:7). Jesus, who was publicly mocked, spit upon, scourged, and crucified, must return to reveal Himself to the world as its King and Lord.

Eighth, the judgment of Satan demands it. The usurper who is the present ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; cf. 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2; 6:12; 1 John 5:19) will not be allowed to maintain his rule forever. Jesus must and will return to vanquish him, destroy his kingdom of darkness, and sentence him to eternal punishment in hell (Rev. 20:2, 10).

Ninth, the hope of believers demands it. Their longing “for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Titus 2:13) will not go unrequited. So central to the Christian faith is hope in Christ’s return that 2 Timothy 4:8 defines Christians as those who “have loved His appearing.” The Lord must return so that “the proof of [believers’] faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7).

Finally, the groaning of creation demands it. Romans 8:18–22 personifies creation as groaning under the pain of the curse brought about by the fall (v. 22) and waiting “eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God” (v. 19) when “the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (v. 21). That will happen when Jesus Christ returns.

The return of Jesus Christ launches a sequence of events that will mark the end of the universe and this world in their present state. There will be a nuclear holocaust of unimaginable proportions as “the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10; cf. v. 12). Before that happens there will be a final judgment and sentencing to the eternal lake of fire of all the ungodly at the great white throne of God (Rev. 20:11–15). Preceding that judgment, Christ will reign for a thousand years on the earth in His millennial kingdom (Rev. 20:4). Before the advent of the millennial kingdom, Jesus will return in judgment (Matt. 25:31–46) in what is commonly known as the second coming, although the term is broader (Rev. 19:11–21). Before the second coming, the tribulation, the seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy weeks (Dan. 9:24–27), will take place for seven years prior to the Lord’s return (Rev. 6–19). It will be an unprecedented outpouring of divine judgment. Before the tribulation there will be the rapture of the church, the trigger that sets in motion all of those subsequent events.

Described in three key passages (John 14:1–3, 1 Cor. 15:51–53; 1 Thess. 4:16–17), the rapture is a signless event and could take place at any time. It is to be distinguished from Christ’s return at the end of the tribulation. At the rapture, Christ comes for His saints (John 14:3; 1 Thess. 4:16–17), but not to earth. He meets them in the air (1 Thess. 4:17) to take them with Him to heaven (John 14:2–3) to receive their rewards (1 Cor. 3:10–15; 4:1–5; 2 Cor. 5:10) and participate in the marriage feast of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7). In contrast, seven years later, at Christ’s return at the end of the tribulation He comes not for His saints, but with His saints (Rev. 19:14; cf. vv. 7–8), who descend with Him from heaven to earth (Zech. 14:4). In addition, the rapture passages mention no accompanying judgment. Nor is there any reference to the church in Revelation 6–19, which describes the tribulation. (For further evidence that the rapture will precede the tribulation, and hence is to be distinguished from the Lord’s posttribulational return in judgment, see Revelation 12–22, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 2000], 212–13.)

This section of Luke 12 reveals the second coming to be both certain and uncertain. The Lord Jesus Christ expressed both realities in verse 40 when He declared that “the Son of Man is coming [a certain event] at an hour that you do not expect [an uncertain time].” The Bible associates various signs with Christ’s return at the conclusion of the tribulation, but none of them reveal the exact day and hour when it will occur (Matt. 24:36; 25:13). Because no events are specifically prophesied to precede it, the time of the rapture cannot be determined. Thus, the chronological sequence that it sets in motion (cf. Dan. 7:25; 12:7, 11–12; Rev. 13:5–6) is missing the key piece of information needed to determine when the Lord will return—when that sequence starts. That is one reason why date setting is so irresponsible. The New Testament is clear that these events are imminent, meaning they could start at any time with no warning sign (Heb. 10:25; James 5:7–9; 1 Peter 4:7; 1 John 2:18; Rev. 1:1; cf. Paul’s use of “we” and “us” in 1 Thess. 4:15, 17; Titus 2:12–13).

The proper response to that reality in every generation is watchfulness (Matt. 24:42–44; Mark 13:33–37; Luke 21:34–36). In this passage Jesus both exhorted His followers to remain at all times ready for His return, and told them why such readiness is important.

THE EXHORTATION TO READINESS

“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” (12:35–40)

Jesus exhorted His hearers to be ready for His return by means of four simple analogies from everyday life: clothing, lamps, servants, and thieves.

CLOTHING

“Be dressed in readiness, (12:35a)

This phrase literally reads “let your loins be girded,” and takes into account the long, flowing robes worn by both men and women in Jesus’ day. Before they could work, fight, or run, people needed to gather up the loose material and tie it with a sash or belt. As they prepared for the Passover meal, God commanded the people of Israel, “Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord’s Passover” (Ex. 12:11). After his dramatic victory over the prophets of Baal, Elijah “girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel” (1 Kings 18:46). When he sent his servant Gehazi to heal the Shunamite woman’s son, Elisha instructed him, “Gird up your loins and take my staff in your hand, and go your way; if you meet any man, do not salute him, and if anyone salutes you, do not answer him; and lay my staff on the lad’s face” (2 Kings 4:29). The Lord commanded Job, “Gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct Me!” (Job 38:3; cf. 40:7). When He commissioned Jeremiah for his prophetic ministry God said to him, “Now, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all which I command you” (Jer. 1:17). Peter’s exhortation in 1 Peter 1:13 literally reads, “Gird up the loins of your minds.” Jesus’ words are a call to readiness in light of His imminent return.

LAMPS

and keep your lamps lit. (12:35b)

Lamps have only one function: to provide light. In this case, as it often is, light is a figure for knowledge. This is not the time, Jesus warned, to be ignorant of these truths, stumbling around in the darkness; people need to be watchful and make certain that their lamp of knowledge is always lit. Later He would use lamps to illustrate the danger of spiritual unpreparedness in the parable of the bridesmaids. Unlike the wise virgins, the foolish ones (Matt. 25:1–12) allowed their lamps to go out. As a result, they were shut out of the wedding by the bridegroom, illustrating metaphorically the danger of spiritual unpreparedness.

The apostle Paul echoed this same warning when he wrote,

Because Jesus could return at any moment, people need to keep alert, have their lamps always lit, and not be lost in spiritual darkness.

SERVANTS

Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. (12:36–38)

Weddings in ancient Israel did not start or stop at a specific time. When the preparations were complete, the guests were summoned (cf. Matt. 22:2–4). The celebration could cover up to seven days, depending on how many people were there and how long the food lasted. The men who were waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast could not have known the exact time that he would return. Therefore, they needed to be constantly vigilant, so that they could immediately open the door to him when he arrived at home.

The master would not fail to reward those slaves whom he found on the alert when he returned. In an incredible reversal of roles to demonstrate the master’s pleasure at such readiness, Jesus says he proceeded to gird himself to serve the ones who served him and had them recline at the table as his equals as he waited on them. That is what Jesus Himself did for His beloved disciples (John 13:1–5; cf. Matt. 20:28; Luke 22:27) and will again do at the marriage feast of the Lamb in heaven (Luke 13:28–30). No matter when he arrived—even if it was in the second watch, or even in the third (e.g., 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.)—His ready servants would be blessed.

THIEVES

But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect. (12:39–40)

In this final analogy the picture is not of a returning master, but of a robbed master. The opening phrase, But be sure of this, introduces a truth to be treated as both obvious and emphatic. Looking back on the incident, it is self-evident that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Thieves often dug through the walls of houses, and had he known when the thief was going to strike, the master surely would have been ready to prevent or thwart his attempt.

The element of surprise associated with a thief’s clandestine arrival fits the point of the unexpectedness of the Lord’s return. In Revelation 3:3 Jesus warned the church at Sardis, “Remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.” Both 1 Thessalonians 5:2–4 and 2 Peter 3:10 liken the coming of the Day of the Lord to that of a thief.

Jesus summarizes the four analogies He had just given in a concluding exhortation: You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect. The only way to avoid spiritual loss is to be ready at all times for Christ’s return.

Readiness starts with salvation. Earlier in Luke’s gospel Jesus had called people to repent or face rejection when He returns:

But readiness also involves sanctification. In 2 Peter 3:14 Peter exhorted his readers, “Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things [the cataclysmic destruction of the earth and the heavens described in verses 10–13], be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless” (cf. v. 11). The redeemed demonstrate their readiness for Christ’s return by pursuing a godly life.

THE IMPORTANCE OF READINESS

Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” (12:41–48)

The Lord taught this same principle in Matthew 24:44–51 (cf. Mark 13:33–37 and the similar teaching in the parable of the talents [Matt. 25:14–30]), indicating that it was a recurring theme of His teaching. Uncertain of who the analogies in the previous point were addressed to Peter, acting as he often did as the spokesman for the rest, said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” Jesus did not answer directly but indirectly with another parable, one involving two servants. The first is faithful and represents believers, who are ready for Christ’s return and will be blessed. The other is unfaithful, and represents unbelievers, who are not ready for His return and will be punished. Since all people fall into one of those two categories, Jesus’ parable encompasses everyone.

THE FAITHFUL SERVANT

And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. (12:42–44)

As noted above, the faithful and sensible steward represents genuine believers. They manage well the spiritual riches God has entrusted to their care, and are ready for Christ’s return. Pistos (faithful), as always in the New Testament, has the meaning of “believing,” indicating that this servant represents the redeemed. Phronimōs (sensible) is the result of salvation and describes a thoughtful, prudent, discreet believer, who has the wisdom that is from above (cf. James 3:17). Believers understand the urgency and importance of living in the hope of their Lord’s return. They have not only utilized the resources available to everyone; the revelation of God in creation (Rom. 1:18–32) and the law of God written in the hearts of all people (Rom. 2:15), but also when exposed to the gospel, they believed it, repented, and were saved. Like the faithful steward, they acted responsibly. Put in charge of his master’s servants and instructed to give them their rations at the proper time, he did exactly that. His master would not fail to reward him for carrying out his will; blessed is that slave, Jesus said, whom his master finds so doing when he comes. When He returns Jesus too will reward those who have faithfully carried out His will. Just as the master put the faithful servant in charge of all his possessions, so also will the Lord give His faithful servants corresponding responsibility in the kingdom (cf. 12:32; 2 Tim. 2:12).

THE UNFAITHFUL SERVANT

But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” (12:45–48)

In contrast to the faithful slave the unfaithful slave, ignoring the exhortation in verse 40, said in his heart, “My master will be a long time in coming.” Lacking a sense of urgency, he continued to do whatever satisfied him. And that included brutality inflicted on the slaves, both men and women, as well as continuing to eat and drink and get drunk. Instead of properly managing the resources placed in his charge, he used and abused them for his own gluttonous and drunken pleasure. He lived under the illusion that he had plenty of time to enjoy his sin before his master returned.

Many people live their lives under the same illusion, assuming they can do as they please and turn to God just before the end. Such reasoning is both foolish and dangerous, since no one knows when he or she will die, or when the Lord will return. Nor does that faulty reasoning take into account the deadly danger of apostasy (cf. Heb. 6:4–8). It fails to realize that God may harden the hearts of those who persist in hardening theirs so that they reach a point where they cannot repent and believe (John 12:37–40; Rom. 1:24, 26, 28; Heb. 10:26–27).

Illustrating the danger of such faulty reasoning, the unfaithful slave miscalculated the time of his master’s return. He was caught unprepared when his master came back on a day when he did not expect him and at an hour he did not know. In a drastic and severe act of punishment symbolizing God’s judgment on the wicked, his master cut him in pieces and assigned him a place with the unbelievers. With the word unbelievers, the metaphor becomes reality. The place where the unprepared will spend eternity is hell, where pleasure is replaced by everlasting pain as “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 24:51).

But while all unbelievers will be sentenced to hell, our Lord makes clear here that the degree of their punishment will differ. Jesus alluded to that fact by describing, in addition to the defiant slave mentioned above, two other types of unfaithful slaves. The first was a slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will. He was not wickedly defiant, but only distracted; he did not abuse his master’s resources nor flagrantly defy his master’s will, but neither did he obey him. As a result, he was unprepared for his return. Unlike the defiant slave, who received the severer punishment of being cut in pieces, this slave would receive the lesser punishment of many lashes. A third slave did not know his master’s will. His ignorance did not exonerate him from judgment, since he committed deeds worthy of a flogging. However, he received the least severe punishment of the three, receiving but few lashes.

Jesus’ concluding words provide the basis for the differing degrees of punishment in hell. From everyone who has been given much, He warned, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more. The degree of punishment for unbelievers is directly related to their knowledge of the truth. The more truth people know, the more dangerous it is for them to reject it. In light of Christ’s imminent return, to defiantly reject the gospel, be indifferent to it, or be ignorant of it risks eternal tragedy. The exhortation to all is, “Behold, now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation’” (2 Cor. 6:2). Everyone is called to “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15; cf. Acts 17:30; 26:20), because those who refuse to do so will perish (Luke 13:1–5; John 3:18) and face God’s eternal wrath (John 3:36).

The warning in Hebrews 10:26–31 is sobering: