Our Joyful Future Prospect (Matthew 25:31–46)

[Stephan Choe]

September 8, 2026

Key Verses 31–33:     “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 at his right hand, but the goats at the left.”

In today’s sermon text, Jesus speaks to us about His Second Coming and the Last Judgment. Some people have no interest in either His Second Coming or the Last Judgment and would prefer to fall asleep during the sermon.

Yet, the Second Coming of Christ and the Last Judgment are of crucial importance for our future. Anyone wishing to prepare well for the future should listen attentively to these words, for the Second Coming of Christ opens up an indescribably wonderful prospect for our future.

I would therefore like to encourage you to heed Christ’s message.

The Great Judgment

When Jesus Christ returns, every person must appear before Him and give an account. Jesus explains it as follows:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne, and all the nations will be gathered before him. And he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left” (31–33).

In this world, we will experience various tribulations and difficulties (see Chapter 24). Despite such events, we can remain optimistic, for Jesus Christ will certainly return. He will return in glory at the sound of the last trumpet, accompanied by all the angels, and take His place on the throne of God. At the sound of this trumpet, we will be instantly transformed into glorious beings and rise as immortals; likewise, all who have already died will rise and put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:52–53). Thus, all people from every nation will appear before the Lord, and the great judgment will take place. Jesus, the righteous Judge, will pronounce His blessing upon the righteous and welcome them into the Kingdom of Heaven, while passing the verdict of condemnation upon the unrighteous.

The essential aspect of this judgment is the act of "separation." In this world, good and evil are intermingled; even a Christian congregation is often no exception to this mixed state. Moreover, we are frequently unable to distinguish precisely between good and evil.

The day of the King’s return is the day of judgment, when all nations will be gathered before Him. At this great judgment, "good" and "evil" will be separated from one another, for the hidden things of people will be clearly revealed before Christ. Christ will separate people just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

And He will gather the sheep to His right and the goats to His left. His right side is the side of God’s grace, leading to the Kingdom of Heaven, while the left side is the side of disfavor, leading to condemnation.

And the King will say to those on his right: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world!”

The Recipients of Grace and the Self-Righteous

In this context, the King is none other than the returning Christ. He pronounces God’s blessing upon all who believe in Jesus Christ and follow Him with all their hearts. God’s blessing means, above all, that He acknowledges them as His children. They receive the kingdom of God and enjoy a loving, intimate relationship with Him. When God accepts us as His children, He also grants us His kingdom. If we lose sight of the blessings of God’s kingdom, we become blinded by the glory of the world. The splendor of the unrighteous dazzles our eyes and tempts us to envy them.

Yet God’s Word tells us in Romans 1:17b, “The righteous shall live by faith.” We are therefore called to live by faith in God. We must hold fast to our faith in God and His promises so that we are not blinded by the glory of the world. We should always keep the beauty of God’s kingdom before our eyes. In the kingdom of God, there will be no more death, suffering, outcry, or pain. God will wipe every tear from our eyes. God will be with us, and we with Him (Revelation 21:3–4).

Why does Jesus grant His kingdom to the people on His right?

Jesus explains it as follows: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me” (35–36).

According to Jesus’ explanation, these people provided simple acts of help. It is not a matter of donating a huge sum of money. Nor is it about founding an aid organization—such as a relief society—to help the needy in a systematic way.

Rather, it is about very simple acts of assistance that anyone can perform—such as giving someone something to eat or drink, donating unwanted clothing, or visiting the sick.

We know of two people who experienced the truth of this parable in a particularly blessed way. One was Francis of Assisi. He came from a wealthy, respected family. Yet he was not happy, for he sensed that something was still missing. One day, he encountered a leper—a man whose disfiguring disease had made him a repulsive and loathsome sight. Something moved Francis of Assisi to dismount and embrace the sick man. And lo and behold: as he embraced him, the leper’s face transformed into the countenance of Christ.

The other was Martin of Tours, a Roman soldier. On a cold winter day, as he was entering a city, a beggar stopped him and asked for alms. Martin had no money with him; yet when he saw that the beggar had turned blue from the cold and was shivering all over, he gave him what he had. He took off his soldier’s cloak, cut it in two, and gave one half to the beggar. That night, he saw Jesus in a dream, surrounded by the heavenly hosts of angels. Jesus was wearing half of a soldier’s cloak, and one of the angels asked Him, “Lord, why are You wearing this old, cut-up cloak? Who gave it to You?” Jesus answered softly, “My servant Martin gave it to Me.”

Unfortunately, we cannot all be as devoted as Saint Francis of Assisi or Saint Martin of Tours. Yet, if we truly desire to do so, we can help those in need in very simple ways—such as by giving a euro or donating clothes we no longer wear. Jesus encourages us to show such simple acts of kindness to our fellow human beings out of love.

Let us continue with the story from the Bible.

In response to the King’s praise, the righteous reply: “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You as a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?” (37–39).

Their response reveals another reason why they are acknowledged by the Lord as righteous. Although they helped others, they are not self-righteous, but humble. Self-righteousness displeases the Lord, whereas He delights in humility.

We also want to hear the conversation between the Lord and those standing on His left.

The Lord will say to those on His left: “Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me; I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me; I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me” (41–43).

These people will then object to the Lord, “Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or as a stranger or without clothes or sick or in prison and did not serve You?” (44). Then he will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” And they will go away—these into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life (45–46).

Perhaps these people attend church services and join in reciting the Lord’s Prayer. Yet this is merely a formality. They have no interest in what lies deeply on Jesus’ heart. They are simply self-righteous. They believe they have served the Lord faithfully and will certainly enter the kingdom of heaven, while condemning others as hopeless cases.

God is patient and gracious

I have reflected on why God led me to faith and granted me eternal life as well as His kingdom. My third and fourth sisters prayed for my salvation for more than fourteen years. Three believing friends from my school days spoke to me about the possibility of God’s existence; they were very kind. Peter Suh and Soo-Min Lee invited me to a church service, and Lydia Cho explained how I could pray to God. God accepted their prayers and their help and led me to faith.

I would like to share a story about this. In Korea, one must pay tuition fees upon matriculating at a university in order to study. After the entrance exam, I received scholarships from both my high school and the engineering faculty of my university; consequently, I had double the amount of the required tuition fees at my disposal. One day in February 1970, I went to the university administration office to enroll—I believe it was the last day for registration. A female freshman was standing at the payment counter; she asked the cashier if she could pay the matriculation fee a few days later. The cashier refused, as he was not authorized to alter the enrollment rules on his own initiative. I then offered to lend her the extra money I had for the enrollment fee. The older cashier instructed her to bring the money to him a few days later so that I could get it back. I wasn’t really the type of person to play the "Good Samaritan," but in that moment, God spontaneously gave me such a heart. Thanks to this act of help, I didn’t lose a single cent. Today, I often wonder if God graciously accepted this small act of assistance and led me to faith in order to grant me eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven—for about a month later, I was invited to a church and came to believe. I do not believe that God saved me solely because of such a small deed, but I can say with certainty: Our God is gracious. We are saved by His grace; our salvation is entirely a work of His grace. Therefore, we must not be proud, but should remain humble and grateful.

With this parable, Jesus seeks to teach us to speak and act as if we were speaking to Jesus and acting in His presence. So much harm occurs in the world because people believe the Lord does not hear their words or see their deeds. Yet how would people behave if they were fully aware that the Lord Jesus hears and sees everything they say or do? Some people may well agree that God hears and sees everything, yet they do not act conscientiously. That is why corruption and scandals arise in the world.  

Our Lord is gracious and patient.

What would happen in the world if our Lord were to immediately punish everyone who lies or does evil? The world would either turn into a prison, or the earth would be devoid of people due to divine capital punishment. But our God is patient. He knows that people sometimes lie or sin. He waits patiently for them to repent and find their way back to Him. He is long-suffering and yearns for people to turn to God—at the very latest, before their physical death. What must our Lord do if people show no repentance before their physical death? Sadly, He must punish them, for He is not only gracious and merciful but also just. He cannot simply welcome into His Kingdom of Heaven those who show no repentance despite His long-suffering.   Someone once asked me if it were true that believers fare well in this world while unbelievers fare poorly. I replied, "It is true to a certain extent that believers fare well in this world. However, if we also include the Last Judgment in our consideration, then it is entirely true." God is just. That is why God consigned evil men like Hitler to a wretched end even in this world—so that all people might see it and not envy such rulers. Yet sometimes, one must wait until God’s visible blessing upon the righteous and the evil end of the unrighteous are revealed.  

During the Japanese occupation of Korea, Japan forced all Koreans to adopt Japanese names and worship Shinto deities. Many Korean Christians died as martyrs. Pastor Ki-Cheol Joo (주기철) was subjected to severe police torture, which ultimately led to his death. He is held in high regard by all Koreans. However, his children suffered great hardship even after Korea’s independence from Japan, as they lacked a proper education and had no one to care for them. Consequently, Kwang-Jo Joo (주광조)—Ki-Cheol Joo’s youngest son—asked God why He had not saved his father from the hands of the Japanese. He turned his back on the church for many years but later returned; today, he serves as an elder at Young-Rak Church, one of South Korea’s largest churches. In 2012, Seung-Jung Joo (주승중), one of Pastor Ki-Cheol Joo’s grandsons, became the pastor of a large congregation in Incheon.  

Pastor Yang-Won Son (손양원) is known among Korean Christians as the "Father of Leprosy Patients" and as a martyr. He was initially persecuted by the Japanese for refusing to worship Japanese idols; as a result, his children were denied schooling because they, too, would not worship these idols. After independence, during the communist uprising of 1948, Pastor Son lost both his sons at the hands of a young communist sympathizer. When the police intended to execute the murderer, Pastor Son pleaded for his pardon and even adopted him as his own son. Ultimately, Pastor Son was killed by communists in 1950 during the Korean War. Although Pastor Son was held in high regard by the Korean people, his daughters endured great hardship for a long time; they lacked access to a proper education and lived on a meager income. Consequently, his youngest daughter, Dong-Yeon Son, began to doubt God’s love and stayed away from the church for fifty years. Yet, God led her back to the church.  

If we look only at our earthly lives, we might well doubt God’s love and justice—just as Pastor Yang-Won Son’s youngest daughter did. We ought to view God’s sovereignty from a long-term perspective. He already reigns justly in this world; He rewards the righteous and punishes the unrighteous. The fact that God punished Hitler is an example of His just governance.    

Faith Is Our Victory  

Two paths lie before us: a path of faith and a path of unbelief. We have the freedom to choose. The Bible encourages us to choose the path of faith. We are to believe that God reigns righteously—both in this world and in the world to come. Furthermore, it teaches us that the resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgment will indeed come to pass.   We are to believe in our resurrection and in the Kingdom of Heaven. A joyful future awaits us in Christ Jesus. We are to live out of this faith. God will bless us with His Kingdom of Heaven. Amen!