“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.’ ” (Matthew 25:31-34, NIV84)

If there is any doubt about which kingdom wins out in the end, just read Matthew 25:31. There are no comparisons of the two kingdoms in this section. We aren’t being presented a picture of the kingdom of heaven through a parable. No, in this section of Scripture Jesus is being very descriptive. He is describing what the last day will look like with great detail.

He says that He will come to the earth in full glory. He will be seated on His throne, and angels will accompany Him. He will command that all the people of all ages from around the world be gathered before Him. He is in absolute control! He will separate the people of the earth “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will take the sheep into His kingdom for all eternity. Jesus told His disciples while He was still on the earth that He would go to heaven to prepare a place for them (us). On the last day, He will finally take us to the place He has prepared for us.

Except for the reference that the goats will “go away to eternal punishment,” there is no reference to the kingdom of this world. Why? Because it will no longer exist. Only the kingdom of heaven will remain. This is why Jesus spent so much time telling us what the kingdom of heaven is like.

Today, let’s find peace in the fact that our future is certain because we have been redeemed and claimed by a God of certainty.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church