31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:31-46)
The Final Judgment
This passage describes the process of the final judgment. While some parts, like the separation of sheep and goats and the dialogue between judge and judged, are symbolic, the overall scene is best understood as a depiction of the actual judgment, not a parable.
When the Son of Man comes, he will appear in glory, accompanied by all his holy angels, and will sit on his glorious throne (Mt 25:31). This judgment will be universal: all nations will be gathered before him (Mt 25:32). The authority to judge belongs to Christ, the Son of Man, who took on human nature and will be exalted in that role (Acts 17:31). His appearance will be majestic, unlike any earthly display of power (Acts 25:23), revealing the glory that believers now know by faith (Heb 1:3).
Christ will separate the righteous from the wicked, just as wheat is separated from tares (Mt 13:40), or good fish from bad (Mt 13:48). In this life, they live side by side and are not easily distinguishable, but then each will be assigned their proper place (Mal 3:18; Ps 1:5). The righteous are likened to sheep—gentle and useful; the wicked to goats—unruly and unpleasant (Ez 34:17). The sheep will be placed at his right, the goats at his left (Mt 25:33). This distinction will not depend on worldly status, but on holiness.
The sheep – the righteous – are those who believe in Christ and demonstrate their faith by imitating his deeds. Whereas the goats – the wicked – are the unbelievers and hypocritical Christians whose ways are at odds with Christ’s.
To the righteous, the King will say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt 25:34). This kingdom, designed and prepared by God, was purchased by Christ (John 14:2), and is perfectly suited to those who were chosen and sanctified (Eph 1:4; 2 Cor 4:15).
They are invited to inherit, not earn, the kingdom. As children of God, they are heirs (Gal 4:1-2). The reason given is their acts of love: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned (Mt 25:35-36). These acts don’t merit heaven but prove their relationship to Christ. Their obedience, driven by faith and love, is the condition under which grace is applied (Heb 5:9). Even those who had little still showed love, which fulfills the law (Ro 13:10).
These good works imply three things: self-denial and detachment from the world, love for fellow believers (Gal 5:6), and devotion to Christ—serving him by serving others (Col 3:17; Eph 6:7). When Christ says, “I was hungry,” he refers to his suffering followers. God arranges for some to need help, and others to offer it. Charity is a weighty matter at judgment, proving submission to the gospel (2Co 9:13). The merciful will receive mercy.
The righteous respond with surprise, asking when they did these things. This shows their humility and amazement that Christ counts their imperfect deeds as worthy (Mt 25:37-39). The Judge replies, “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). Christ so identifies with his people that kindness to them is kindness to him (Acts 10:4; Zec 2:8).
Then comes the judgment of the wicked. The sentence passed upon them in Matthew 25:41 is terrifying: “Depart from me, you cursed.” Being placed on the left hand is already a disgrace, but being told to depart from Christ adds unbearable weight. These words echo the terrifying voice at Mount Sinai, growing more dreadful with each syllable, cutting off all comfort.
To be near Christ might seem to offer some consolation, even under his displeasure; but that will not be allowed: Depart from me. In this life, they refused or misused the opportunity to be saved by Christ. Now, in just judgment, they are told to depart from the very One they rejected. To be driven from Christ—the source of all goodness and hope—is the worst torment of hell. They once told God, “Depart from us,” and now he echoes that judgment back to them. This separation is absolute and final.
If they must depart from Christ, might they at least be dismissed with a kind word? No: they are not dismissed with pity, but under a curse: “Depart, you cursed.” They must now face the full weight of the curse, like the curse of the law that rests on all who break it. The righteous are called the blessed of my Father, for their blessing comes from God’s grace; the wicked are simply cursed, because their condemnation is their own doing; it is the natural result of their own choices. God has not sold them—they sold themselves and brought the curse upon themselves (Isa 50:1).
If they must depart under a curse, may they not go to a place of ease? No, they are cast into fire—torment as severe as fire is to the body, and worse. This fire is God’s eternal wrath poured upon guilty souls who have made themselves its fuel. Our God is a consuming fire, and sinners fall immediately into his hands (Heb 10:31; Rom 2:8-9).
Is this fire at least mild? No—it is prepared fire, torment ordained long ago (Isa 30:33). This punishment reveals the power of God against his enemies. It is destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. It shows what a provoked God can do to make his enemies miserable.
Will this fire at least be temporary? No, it is everlasting fire. This fire, preying upon immortal souls, will never go out from lack of fuel or lack of wrath. And since mercy and grace are forever cut off, there will be nothing to quench it. If even a drop of water is denied to cool the tongue of those in hell, surely buckets will not be granted to extinguish the flame.
Will they at least have good company? No, only the devil and his angels—their enemies who led them into this misery. They served the devil in life and will be sentenced to share his punishment. The fire was originally prepared for the devil and his angels, not for people. But those who make themselves the devil’s companions by giving in to sin will share in his punishment.
The charge levelled against the wicked is not for active evil, but for failure to do good. They were charged with the sin of omission. They failed to help the needy (Mt 25:42-43). Like the servant who was condemned not for misusing his talent, but for doing nothing with it, these people are judged for omission. Christ doesn’t say, “You harmed me,” but, “You didn’t help me.” They ignored the suffering of others because they were too focused on their own comfort. They did not grieve over the pain around them, and that indifference is enough to condemn them.
They are not condemned for neglecting religious rituals—which they may have performed faithfully—but for neglecting justice, mercy, and faith. Just as the Ammonites and Moabites were excluded for not offering food and water to Israel, so these are judged for refusing simple acts of kindness. Charity is not optional—it is central. If the promise of reward does not move us to love, the warning of judgment should. Those who have shown no mercy will find none.
Christ doesn’t accuse them of failing to perform miracles or great acts—they may not have been able to—but he does accuse them of failing to visit, to offer small, human acts of care. They are condemned not for what they couldn’t do, but for neglecting what they could (De 23:3-4). If such is the fate of the indifferent, what awaits the cruel and the persecutors?
They try to defend themselves: “When did we see you hungry?” (Mt 25:44). Their excuse reveals their blindness. They saw only poor, insignificant people—not Christ. The Judge answers, “As you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me” (Mt 25:45). Christ takes neglect of his followers personally.
Finally, the judgment is carried out (Mt 25:46): “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Both destinies are everlasting. As the weeds are burned first (Mt 13:30), the wicked are judged first, and the righteous receive the kingdom that shall never be taken away.