10 Times Jesus Spoke Directly about the End Times

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

One of Jesus’ final teachings on the end times is really a lesson of final judgement. Of course, Jesus had a few lessons regarding final judgment throughout His ministry. But the parable of the sheep and the goats is important because a casual reading and one might think that it refers to salvation being the result of works. And yet, we must read a bit deeper. 

Jesus tells us Himself – but it can be missed if we gloss over it. He makes clear that the inheritance allotted to the sheep is not based on their works, since their inheritance – the kingdom – was prepared for them “since the creation of the world.” Clearly, long before they could do any good works. The good works of the sheep are not the cause of their salvation – their righteousness – but rather a result of their salvation. 

The message of the Parable of the Sheep and Goats is that when we give ourselves to Jesus, we are to do as Jesus did. God’s people will love others as they love themselves. Followers of Christ will love and serve others – serving the “least of these” - with caring and kindness, just as if we were serving Christ Himself. Because we are.

Of course, exploring the end times through these verses could and should offer us a glimpse of what is in store for the world. These warnings were not as we give warnings, but rather to serve as a reminder of God’s love and a notice to remain diligent. It is ours to remain steadfast and keep our eyes fixed on what is eternal, not what is clearly temporary. 

As we do so, we are called to share the love and good news of Christ now, while it is still “called ‘Today’ so we may not be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13) – planting seeds and reinforcing the hope found in Christ. 

Together, let’s embrace the coming times with joy, and with courage, with faith – and with our eyes wide open! Let’s keep oil in our lamps! Then we may well hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” 

Jesus made us one more promise regarding the “last day” – whenever or whatever that might be. It is a promise we can cling to despite anything that may come our way:

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” -John 6:39-40

Photo Credit:©Unsplash/Nabih e Navarro