The Throne Of His Glory

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.  

Matthew 25:31-33 

What can we expect at the return of Christ? We can list a number of things such as the resurrection of the dead, Christ’s revelation to all, His acknowledgement by all, and the judgment to which our text refers. These are the words of Christ Himself. He is describing the future as a matter of fact. He goes on from ‘When the Son of Man comes in His glory,’ to ‘then He will sit on the throne of His glory.’ The next statement describes what He will do. He will divide humanity into two groups, those whom He describes as ‘sheep’ and others as ‘goats.’ This is a critical division. If we follow the narrative, He divides the groups based upon behavior. How can this be if salvation is by grace through faith without works? The answer lies in the imitation of Christ. The people whom He receives have understood who He is and believed in Him. The life they have lived has been a reflection of that. They have imitated Christ. This elevates the imitation of Christ over mere rhetoric. The imitation of Christ manifests itself in the compassionate communication of Him to those who are at their lowest point in life.  

Our Great and Wise God, 
we rejoice that You do all things well. 
We praise You that as the judge of all the earth, 
You will do what is right. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning