Sunday 19 July 2026
- Bible Book:
- Matthew
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (vs 41-42)
Background
I don’t mind admitting that passages like this (other examples are found in Matthew 25) make me feel nervous. I ask myself, "Am I a weed, a cause of sin, an evil doer?"
Some voice inside me says "Yes, you are." When I read this passage – particularly Jesus’ explanation – an image jumps into my mind from a recent visit to St Thomas’s Church in Salisbury where there is an amazing example of a 'doom painting' showing God's judgement.
I wonder about God's judgement and I wonder about God's grace too. The poem 'Weeds?' by Marjorie Dobson concludes:
"Some plants will be productive,
others will be weeded out –
destroyed.
But this Gardener
allows each one
a whole lifetime of growth
before making that decision."
However, I am still not sure about whether God is in the business of doom and destruction. I had a discussion with someone about judgement and repentance, writing to to him: "Where does repentance fit in with universalism? Are the consequences of not repenting judgement and hell – refusal to seek forgiveness and to forgive – are they not the full stop of damnation/hell/Sheol?"
My friend responded: "Repentance is that turn to God. We make that turn every day or we try to. Jesus came and said "Wake up." But so many of us turn and turn and grow more and more lost, tragically. Or perhaps we wake up and then fall back to sleep. So yes, there will be so many who are lost, who don't seek forgiveness, who do not 'choose' to repent. Exactly. Which is why we have grace. It's God's interruption into our human stalemate if you like. Saul (Paul) did not seek God. He was lost in his persecution. But in Acts 9 God interrupted this trajectory."
The angels will come and throw evil into the furnace of fire. I wonder what that fire is like? Perhaps it is like the fire in Brian Doerksen’s song 'Refiners Fire'. Perhaps in the end, in the eternity of life, all will shine like the sun in God's kingdom.
To Ponder:
- What do you think about God’s judgement?
- What happens when you cry and how does it feel afterwards?
Prayer
God of light
Help me to recognise you shining
In scripture
In prayer
in the lives of other people. Amen
Bible notes author: Dr Tom Lunt
Dr Tom Lunt is a Methodist local preacher, prison chaplain and lecturer. He lives with his wife Liz in East Sussex.