At Luke 21:34-36, Jesus gives us warnings about the coming end of the system of things or the judgment time when all will stand before him and answer for what they have done...or not done.
He said.....
“But pay attention to yourselves that your hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon you 35 as a snare. For it will come upon all those dwelling on the face of the whole earth. 36 Keep awake, then, all the time making supplication that you may succeed in escaping all these things that must occur and in standing before the Son of man.”
What does it mean to
"stand before the Son of man"?
The parable of the slaves ties in with this judgment. Jesus instructed his disciples to "do business" with the figurative 'money' he gave them. Each one had the same amount, and according to his own ability, did business with it. Some gained 10 fold, other 5 and were commended and rewarded for their efforts, but the last one was pronounced "wicked" for doing nothing.
In context the account goes on to say of that wicked slave.....
"‘Lord, here is your miʹna that I kept hidden away in a cloth. 21 You see, I was in fear of you, because you are a harsh man; you take what you did not deposit, and you reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘By your own words I judge you, wicked slave. You knew, did you, that I am a harsh man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 So why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my coming, I would have collected it with interest.’
24 “With that he said to those standing by, ‘Take the miʹna from him and give it to the one who has the ten miʹnas.’ 25 But they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten miʹnas!’— 26 ‘I say to you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 27 Moreover, bring these enemies of mine here who did not want me to become king over them and execute them in front of me.’”
The wicked slave did not see the need to 'do business' and perhaps because of his fear of the Master, was afraid of losing it, so he hid it and only gave him back what he was given with no effort and nothing to show. The Master said that the slave had judged himself by his own words. If he knew the Master was an exacting man and yet did not obey him, then there would be no commendation and no reward.
Something else to note about the parable.....
Verses 12 & 14:
"A man of noble birth traveled to a distant land to secure kingly power for himself and to return."
"But his citizens hated him and sent out a body of ambassadors after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to become king over us.’"
So his "citizens" were hostile to his becoming King over them. Yet even in that climate, the slaves were commanded to do business with what he gave to them. There was still success despite that hostility....
When all of earth's inhabitants "stand before the Son of man"....those hostile to his kingship will be removed from his kingdom. They do not want him as King and they will not have to endure someone that they have rejected. The wicked slave will join them because he obviously caved in to the pressure of their opposition and even hid the fact that he was a slave at all, doing nothing to promote the Master's business. This is the sin of omission. NOT doing what we are told to do.
What can be expected at the judgment time?
The Bible tells us.
2 Thessalonians 1:3-5
"We are obligated always to give thanks to God for you, brothers. This is fitting, because your faith is growing exceedingly and the love of each and every one of you is increasing toward one another. 4 As a result we ourselves take pride in you among the congregations of God because of your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and the hardships that you are suffering. 5 This is a proof of the righteous judgment of God, leading to your being counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you are indeed suffering.
6 This takes into account that it is righteous on God’s part to repay tribulation to those who make tribulation for you. 7 But you who suffer tribulation will be given relief along with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels 8 in a flaming fire, as he brings vengeance on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus. 9 These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction from before the Lord and from the glory of his strength, 10 at the time when he comes to be glorified in connection with his holy ones and to be regarded in that day with wonder among all those who exercised faith, because the witness we gave met with faith among you."
It all ties in......being a Christian is not easy; it involves suffering and hardships brought on by opposition to the preaching work that Jesus commanded, yet despite all the opposition, the disciples get the job done. In his commendation for their faithfulness, Jesus rewards his faithful slaves, but metes out justice to those who "do not know God" (because they don't want to) and those who know him but fail to "obey the good news" about his kingdom. Their punishment is "everlasting destruction" which is seen in the sentence passed to the wicked slave.
I hope you can see what this means.....it isn't harsh...it is God's justice. The warning has always been there for all who want to rebel against the Creator and his Christ. The method of punishment has been there too, for all this time. Who can say they didn't know?
