Jesus is Essential
Matthew 25:31–33: “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. All the nations will be gathered before Him, 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.
Our Lord is alerting God’s people to the fact that we are to ready ourselves for His coming. During the Tribulation period all nations will have the opportunity to hear and receive God’s message. The gospel of the Kingdom will be preached among all nations, we are told. But some will reject God’s messengers, Christ’s brethren, and thereby reject Christ. The polarization of all of the Olivet Discourse is moving toward the placing of Jesus Christ on the throne of this world.
This is the message of the Gospel of Matthew—in fact, it is the message of the entire Word of God. Now we will see that the nations will be judged. You may ask, “Doesn’t it mean individuals?” Yes, you can consider it as individuals composing the nations. But nations are responsible to God. “Nation” is the Greek word ethnos, we could say that it means ethnic groups. All human beings are called sheep. There are two kinds: lost sheep and saved sheep. 1
Walking with Jesus
Your attitude and actions matter today, and for eternity. Have you lost your perspective on what you are doing, and why you are doing it? Regardless of what we may think, we are accountable to God for every word, and deed, and every wrong doing. Are you abiding in Him with a holy fear regarding your future face-to-face meeting?
Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:3
What you do today is noted by Jesus, and referred to by Him at a later date.
Praying
Lord, it is such a blessing to know that everything we do is before Your holy presence.
1. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
