Derek Prince - Doing Nothing Is All You Have To Do To Be Cursed Forever By God
This is an excerpt from: Orphans, Widows, The Poor And Oppressed
All right we are going on with the New Testament, Matthew 25. I don't need to tell John what is in this chapter. This is the sheep and the goat nations. Matthew 25, it's the last of the three parables in this chapter beginning at verse 31. When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. You need to go back for a moment to What's the first prophet? Not Hosea. Joel chapter 3 verses 1 and 2, because this is the Old Testament setting for the New Testament.
Joel 3 says: Behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, So it specifically refers to the time of the restoration of the State of Israel. I will gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; [And Jehoshaphat meant The Lord Judges.] And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land. This is a very solemn thought. When Jesus comes He's going to judge the nations on how they have treated His brothers, the Jewish people... And on dividing up what He calls My land. This is a thing that we have to face as nations, primarily the British, but also other nations.
In 1919 at the end of World War I, the British were given a mandate to govern what was called Palestine and make, provide there, a Jewish national home. In 1922 Winston Churchill with one stroke of the British pen signed off 75% of that territory to an Arab nation in which no Jew is permitted to live. That nation is today called Jordan. At the end of World War II, the United Nations voted to partition what was left, which was about 25% of the total land, and they offered Israel or the Jewish people about twelve percent. That was all of a total inheritance. What is the political terminology for dividing up the land? What's the word? Partition!
God is going to judge the nations who have been involved in partitioning what He calls "My land". It's first and foremost His land, then it's the land of Israel because God gave it by an everlasting covenant to Israel. And Jesus says, turning now to Matthew 25: "when He comes in His glory, He's going to judge the nations by the way they've treated His brothers and His sisters. It's a very solemn thought. He will divide them into two groups: All nations will be gathered before Him, [verse 32] and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then He will say to the sheep, 'Come, you blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food: I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me'".
You notice this is all very practical. It's not religious. "Then the righteous will answer Him saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and fed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger, and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' Then the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'" That's a very solemn thought in relationship to the re-gathering of the Jewish people in their land. What we do to them is considered done to Jesus. Then He goes on: "Then He will also say to those on the left hand [the goats], 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels;'"
Notice the everlasting fire was not prepared for human beings. The devil and his angels have no option. They will have to go. Human beings only go if they refuse the offer of God's mercy. "And then Jesus says: 'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer Him saying, 'Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life".
And I think some of the most terrible words ever spoken by God are there in verse 41, spoken to the goat nations. "Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared, for the devil and his angels:" I can't think of more terrible words that could ever be spoken to any person. "Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire..." And you will say, "Brother Prince, what did they do"? Shall I answer you in one word? Nothing. That's all you have to do is do nothing. Jesus is looking for trees that bring good fruit. Every tree that brings bad fruit, or that does not bring fruit will be cut down and cast into the fire.
So you see, right through from Job to Jesus, the righteousness which is from God by faith is totally practical. It's not sentimental, it's not religious. It's down to earth. It's meet the needs of the needy, help the helpless, take in the widow, take care of the orphans. That's God's message from Job all the way through. It has not changed. God has not suddenly changed His mind about what He wants. There's been no change in the way we attain that righteousness. There's been no change in the righteousness itself.