“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” ...“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Matthew 25:31–34, 41
Standing Before the Judge
There I was standing before the judge. The stakes were not high 52 in a 30 wasn’t going to lose my license or be put in prison. However, I was not looking forward to a hefty fine or the points which would end up costing even more once my insurance company got wind of the verdict. The officer standing across the courtroom held in his hands incontrovertible evidence.
Many of you have been in this same place. Standing before a judge, knowing our guilt, and hoping for grace. When we stand guilty before a judge, one thing stands out, we are not in control. At least some part of our future, a small fine, or a life changing sentence, is in the hands of the judge. In our earthly court system appeals are an option, but at some point, the appeal process runs its course and we stand before a judge whose ruling will be final.
If you are like me, this lack of control is distressing. We want to be the ones in control of not only our actions, but the consequences of our actions. We have a longing for the poetic proclamation of William Ernest Hensley to be true, “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul” (Invictus). Yet when we stand before a judge one thing becomes perfectly clear, we are not the masters of our fate. There are times when our future is taken out of our control and we realize we are powerless to change it.
One day we will stand before the judgment seat of God and at this moment we will also realize we are not the captain of our soul. We do not have the power to determine where we will spend eternity. Only the judge has this power. Yet we are not without hope, the judge has told us by what measure we will be judged. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).
When we stand before God and the sheep are separated from the goats, there will be only one measure the judge will consider, have we placed our faith in Jesus Christ. We have eternal life in heaven with Jesus because he paid the penalty for our sins, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:24–25). Without, faith in Him we stand condemned before the judge and will be sent, “into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels”.
Heaven and hell are real places of eternal existence. Put your hope in Jesus so you can stand confident before the judgment seat of God.
Pray
Father, you are just, holy, and righteous. In you there is no sin nor do you tolerate sin. Because of your love for us you have sent your son to pay for our sins on the cross. I thank you and praise you for forgiving my sins, for sealing me with the Holy Spirit, and welcoming me into heaven all through your Son Jesus Christ.
Journal . Meditate … Be Transformed
Write out what you think it would be like spending eternity in heaven and what it would be like in hell. Write down the name of one person who you will be praying for to put their faith in Jesus and receive eternal life.