Week 18
The Sheep & The Goats
Bible Text: Matthew 25:31-46
Key Verse: Matthew 25:40
Matthew 25:31 the Son of Man: the coming of the Son of Man here includes a final judgment. Two widely accepted interpretations of this judgment are: 1) it will occur at the beginning of an earthly millennial kingdom (v 31, 34). The criterion for judgment will be the kind of treatment shown to the Jewish people.
2) The judgment referred to occurs at the great white throne at the end of the age (Rev 20:11-15). Its purpose will be to determine who will be allowed to enter the eternal kingdom of the saved and who will be consigned to eternal punishment in hell.
Matthew 25:34-40 inherit the kingdom: rewards in the kingdom of heaven are given to those who serve without thought of reward. There is no hint of merit here, for God gives out of grace, not debt.
At the same time, those who believe in Jesus need to guard against the temptation to use the need of others to achieve salvation rather than seeing it as a gift of Jesus' presence.
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Monday: Devotional Reading – Time for prayer & adoration:
Read through the scripture several times, just listening to the words.
Tuesday: Literary Reading – Listen for literary content:
Focus on the text, itself.
Wednesday: Lutheran Theological Reading – Read from a Lutheran perspective:
Reflect on the convictions, insights and expectations that rise particularly from our Lutheran Heritage.
Thursday: Historical Reading – Read with an ear for History:
Reflect on the historical situation.
Friday: Catch up on missed reading time
Saturday & Sunday: Day of Rest
For More Detailed Reflection Questions please check-out the link "Daily Reflection Questions" link.
