But 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. Matthew 25:31 WEB
In the previous chapter of Matthew’s gospel account, Jesus gives prophecy concerning the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and describes the signs of the end times. In the next chapter, Christ prepares his disciples for the events surrounding his arrest and crucifixion. Chapter twenty-five contains the parable of the ten virgins and the parable of the gold talents.
Jesus follows these parables with a story of the end times where he describes the judgment of God as separating the sheep from the goats. Christ, calling himself the Son of Man, uses the metaphor of himself as a shepherd to illustrate his separating faithful servants of the kingdom from those who failed to serve God’s purpose. He places the faithful at his right hand and the unfaithful to his left.
You Came to Me
From the throne of his glory, Jesus gives the kingdom of heaven as an inheritance to his faithful. Christ says to his servants in Matthew 25:35-36, “for I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. When I was naked, you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. WEB”
Matthew 25:41-43 records Jesus’ response to the unfaithful with these words, “Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you didn’t give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me. WEB”
Keep My Commandments
Jesus, our righteous king, sitting on the throne of his glory judges our belief based upon the demonstration of our love to our fellow believers. As Christ says in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commandments. WEB” Christ commands us to love one another saying in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just like I have loved you; that you also love one another. WEB”
Salvation comes from faith by the grace of God. Jesus makes clear that those who truly believe in him follow his commands and live lives of service and love. Christ concludes his teaching of the separation of the righteous and the condemned with these words about the unfaithful goats recorded in Matthew 25:46, “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. WEB”
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for grafting believers in Christ into the vine that is your chosen people. Thank you for making me a part of your great family. Because of you, I am not afraid but confident, knowing that I will be with you in eternity. Guide me all the days of my life. Keep me in your will. In Jesus name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: That Which Is to Come
