Correspondence: 2 TI 4:1 "Quick" and "Dead"; Matt. 23:9

From: Correspondence

Narrator: Chris Genthree

Show More Sources

Correspondence: 2 Tim. 4:1; Matt. 23:9-10

From: Young Christian: Volume 10, 1920

Correspondence: 2 TI 4:1 "Quick" and "Dead"; Matt. 23:9

From: Young Christian: Volume 33, 1943

Correspondence: 2 Tim. 4:1; Matt. 23:9-10

From: Correspondence

• 3 min. read • grade level: 7

Listen to This Article

Ques. What does 2 Tim. 4:1¹I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; (2 Timothy 4:1) mean? Does the "quick" mean those who are born again, and the "dead" those who are dead in trespasses and sins?

Ans. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1¹There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)). They shall not come into judgment, but are passed from death into life. They have eternal life (John 5:24²⁴Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)). There is judgment for sinners out of Christ; they are condemned already (John 3:18¹⁸He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18)), and will be judged for their sins (Eph. 5:6⁶Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. (Ephesians 5:6)).

This verse in 2 Tim. 4:1¹I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; (2 Timothy 4:1), speaks about the time when the Lord begins to judge. It is when He appears, and His heavenly saints come with Him. He came for them first (1 Thess. 4:15-17¹⁵For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:15‑17)); afterward they come back with Him to judge the people who are living on the earth at that time. He will deliver His people, Israel, from their oppressors and settle them in their own land, and reign over them (Ezek. 37). He will judge the living nations (Matt. 25:31-46³¹When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: ³²And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: ³³And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: ³⁶Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. ³⁷Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? ³⁸When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? ³⁹Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? ⁴⁰And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. ⁴¹Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴²For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: ⁴³I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. ⁴⁴Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? ⁴⁵Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. ⁴⁶And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:31‑46)). He will judge professing Christendom (Jude 14¹⁴And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, (Jude 14), 15), and all the rebellious as well (2 Thess. 1:7-10⁷And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, ⁸In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: ⁹Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; ¹⁰When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. (2 Thessalonians 1:7‑10)). And all through the thousand years' reign He will judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31³¹Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:31); Isa. 32:1-2; 26:1-11¹Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. ²And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. (Isaiah 32:1‑2)
¹In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. ²Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. ³Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. ⁴Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: ⁵For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust. ⁶The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy. ⁷The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just. ⁸Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. ⁹With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. ¹⁰Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord. ¹¹Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them. (Isaiah 26:1‑11); Psa. 72).

It is after the Millennium is finished that we get the judgment of the dead, that is, all who have died without faith—died in their sins. These are judged according to their works (Rev. 20:11-15¹¹And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. ¹²And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. ¹³And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. ¹⁴And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11‑15)), for there is no escape. They are cast into the lake of fire, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched (Matt. 9:43-48). Terrible it is to think of them there. Only in Christ there is salvation.

Ques. Was Jesus speaking only to the Jews in Matt. 23:9⁹And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. (Matthew 23:9)?

Ans. The scribes and Pharisees did love titles of honor from men, and to sit in Moses' seat; that is, they taught the law, but they did not do what they taught. This part of the Scriptures speaks of their hypocrisy, and self exaltation (vss. 1-12).

Christ's disciples were not to take the place of father, or teacher, nor were they to call others father or teacher, for the Father in heaven was the only one they were to own, and their only teacher was Christ. This refers to their ecclesiastical place; for we must honor our earthly parents.

There are gifts in the assembly now, and they serve the Lord, ministering the Word, but we must watch not to put them in the Lord's place. The unction or anointing of the Holy Spirit dwells in us, and so the Lord by the Spirit is our teacher (1 Cor. 2:12-13¹²Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. ¹³Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:12‑13); 1 John 2:20,27²⁰But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. (1 John 2:20)
²⁷But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. (1 John 2:27)).

An evangelist or teacher (as Eph. 4), may teach us the Word, and be used of God for our blessing, and we thank God for his ministry, but we cannot follow man, nor receive what he says, unless it is according to the Word of God. We esteem such very highly in love for their work's sake (1 Thess. 5:12-13¹²And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; ¹³And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. (1 Thessalonians 5:12‑13)), but they must not take, and we must not give them, a place of authority over us.

Click here to show subject links in the text for more information.