Far More Souls Will Gather at the Gate

Consider the two men beside Jesus on the crosses. What roles do they have in Heaven and Hell?

Jesus assured, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).

What does the term ‘loose’ mean to your Earthly and Heavenly being?

Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All nations will gather 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” (Matthew 25:31-33).

The innocence of humankind will prevail like sheep in the Lord’s flock, while the indulgent goat will have consumed the world through the severity of sin. His thoughtful placement of us around His throne will distinguish us through our deliberate choices of right and wrong.

Jesus continued by telling those on his right, ‘Come, you who my Father blesses; inherit 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’ (Matthew 25:34-36).

In our biblical era, significantly fewer individuals follow the teachings of Jesus Christ correctly. Sin has become a widespread social norm, morally dividing humankind and influencing who will act righteously. Our judgment weakens our ties to the Father.

Jesus warned us, “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘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 invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You’ (Matthew 25:37-39).

The righteous will not ignore the scripture to deny Jesus His grace. Hatred has no place in discussions about Jesus Christ, and the Father will deny sinners eternal life. Jesus emphasized, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me’ (Matthew 25:40).

Our actions either lead us toward a righteous, meaningful life or they distance us from a clearer consciousness, steering us away from God. Jesus expects us to walk in His virtues while on Earth. If we neglect our brothers and sisters in Christ, we deny God the spiritual offerings of kindness that define a life.

Jesus will declare 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 invite Me in, I needed clothes, and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison, and you did not look after Me’ (Matthew 25:41-43).

If you reply, as the righteous proclaimed, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, thirsty, a stranger, needing clothes, sick, or in prison, and did not help You’ (Matthew 25:44)? Whatever your faith signifies on Earth reflects who you will be in Heaven. Jesus recognizes what is a deed not done to serve His righteousness and will reward those who faithfully follow His service to humankind. God loves us with every Word spoken through His Son. God will rejoice in the display of our hearts as He embraces our Christian fellowship. Together, we will meet at Heaven’s gate worthy and know without doubt that our love for doing right is protecting us from knowingly doing wrong.