I have learned from reading Gracethrufaith that Matt. 24 is about the surviving Jews at the end of the tribulation. However I am wondering about your opinion concerning Matt. 24:49. These people were judged by what they had done. My wife and I are invited to an Octoberfest party and it does give me pause to know we will be eating and drinking with drunkards. I feel if we don’t go it will send a message that we are too good to spend time with old friends. I know this has nothing to do with my salvation however I want to do what is pleasing to the Lord. Any thoughts how God views these things is greatly appreciated.
Matt. 24:49 is part of a series of parables describing the judgments that will follow the 2nd coming. Parables are fictional stories that the Lord put into an earthly setting the better convey a heavenly truth. The key to understanding them is to realize that everything represents something else, so they’re not meant to be taken literally. For a servant in charge of others, neglecting and/or abusing fellow servants while partying with drunkards is behavior not suitable for a servant on duty. It shows contempt for the fellow servants as well as for the master.
At the second coming Jesus will hold those tribulation survivors who’ve been placed in charge of other believers accountable for making sure they’ve been properly taught (fed), not imposing a bunch of meaningless rules and regulations upon them (beating them), and avoiding false doctrine (eating and drinking with drunkards).
So this parable is not meant for the Church, and it has nothing to do with having a couple of beers with some friends at a party. Please understand that this won’t make you immune from criticism. But if you are, remember even the Lord couldn’t please everybody. Comparing Himself with John the Baptist He said,
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds” (Matt. 11:18-19)
For my complete study on the Olivet Discourse parables, click here.