Subject Eighty-five

CHRIST AND THE JUDGMENT

Scripture: Luke 11:29-32

1. The evilness of this age
   1. The Lord Jesus said that this is an evil age.
   2. Illustrate how evil this age is. Give concrete examples of the evil in the homes, in the schools, in the offices and in the midst of the crowds of people.
2. Christ as the salvation to the present age
   1. The Lord said that there is a sign with Jonah, that is, that Jonah was in the belly of a great fish three days and three nights.
      When Jonah came out of the belly of the fish, he became the salvation to the Ninevites. This Jonah typifies the resurrected Christ. Christ, like Jonah, entered into death and stayed in the depth of the earth three days and three nights; therefore, like Jonah, Christ is the salvation to the present evil age. Christ was resurrected because He had died. His death is to bear the sins of the world; His resurrection is to impart life to man. Just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so is Christ a sign to this present age. This sign is a sign of the taking away of the sins of men and the imparting of life to them. It is a sign of God’s salvation.
   2. Here Christ also mentioned the queen of the south coming to Solomon to learn from him. Solomon typifies Christ. Solomon spoke to the queen of the south concerning the ultimate issue of life. Today Christ can tell us much more of the ultimate issue of life. To receive wisdom you need to come to Christ. To this age, Christ is not only the One who has died and been resurrected, but He is also the Christ who is the sum of all wisdom. On one hand, like Jonah to the Ninevites, Christ is salvation. On the other hand like Solomon to the queen of the south, He is wisdom. Christ is not only salvation to men, but also wisdom for men.
3. Judgment in the future
   1. If today men will not receive Christ as their Lord of resurrection out of the dead, nor receive Him as their Lord of wisdom, one day in the future they shall meet the judgment.
   2. Before the throne of judgment, the Ninevites will testify against them, and so will the queen of the south. The Ninevites will condemn you because you would not receive the salvation of the Christ who was resurrected out of the dead, the sin-forgiving and life-imparting salvation. The queen of the south will condemn you because you would not receive the Lord of wisdom, that you might know the ultimate issues of life.
   3. There is no escape from the future judgment. If you refuse to receive Christ today, it will be too late for you to repent in that day. If in this age you heard about Christ, and knew that this Christ is the Lord of resurrection out of the dead, and that He is the Lord of wisdom, but you would not receive Him—like the Ninevites who received Jonah or like the queen of the south taught by Solomon—you will be judged in the future, and you will receive eternal punishment.
4. How to deal with Christ
   1. Receive Him like the Ninevites received Jonah, and receive His words like they received the words of Jonah. When a man receives Christ, his sins are forgiven, and he obtains life, for Christ is the Lord of resurrection.
   2. Learn from Christ, for He is the Lord of wisdom, who is able to teach you the proper way to live as a man.