Imagine, for a few seconds, that you were to get a phone call at 2:00 p.m. today saying that an internationally-famous VIP, the most important person in the world, is coming to visit you at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. After the initial shock wore off, you would be plunged into all kinds of frantic, last-minute planning to prepare for that visit. You would want to make sure that your house looked its best – that everything inside and out was clean and spotless and in good repair. You would want to make sure that you looked your best – clean or possibly even new clothes, freshly-polished shoes, perhaps a fresh haircut or manicure. You might tear into your recipe books to prepare some delicious food to serve your guest. You might drive yourself crazy trying to prepare for the arrival of this very important person – your important and very unexpected guest.
Now the chances of getting that call and that visit are pretty slim. But we often hear stories of how hotels and resorts plan for the arrival of important guests. I used to see this on a somewhat smaller scale when I was involved in the planning for the annual sales conventions of the life insurance company where I worked for over 30 years. Prior to the arrival of any VIP, staff members would make sure that the guest’s room or suite was stocked with his or her favorite foods and beverages. Flowers and welcome gifts were prepared and delivered. The VIP would be met not at the door but at the airport, where he or she would be chauffeured by limousine and would be personally delivered to the carefully-prepared room. The VIP knew – and expected – that every possible detail had been planned and executed to make his or her stay enjoyable and memorable.
Two weeks ago, when we celebrated All Saints’ Day, I asked you how you would describe heaven, and we spent our time together considering not how people describe heaven, but how God describes heaven for us. We focused not so much on the physical descriptions, but rather on what heaven is: eternal life in glorified, resurrected bodies, forever in the presence of the God who created us, who sent His Son to die for our sins, and who sends His Holy Spirit to bring us to faith.
Today, on this final Sunday of the church year, we find ourselves again hearing what God says about heaven. And when we listen carefully, we learn something new about heaven – and about hell – and about Christ’s return in glory on judgment day – that many people never, ever realize or understand.
Listen again to the first four verses of today’s Gospel lesson from Matthew chapter 25: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’”
The words about separating the sheep from the goats – the believers from the unbelievers – are familiar. We’ve heard that description before, and we understand what it means. But even though we have probably read and heard them before, the final words of verse 34 take us by surprise. Listen once again as Jesus says: “Come, you who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
Did you catch those last few words? "Prepared for you from the foundation the of the world." Prepared for you from the beginning of God's holy and perfect creation. Think about that. God always wanted you to live with Him in Paradise. Heaven wasn't some afterthought, created after the fall into sin as some type of cosmic reward for people who have faith in the true God. God didn't create heaven as some type of trophy prize for the good folks while the bad people went to that other place – to hell. No, heaven was created for you and for all people before there were any bad people – before there was any sin. Heaven was created for you and for every precious man, woman and child because it was always part of God's plan for His holy and perfect creation.
But sadly, creation didn't remain holy and perfect for long. Satan deceived Adam and Eve. They rebelled against God, disobeying His commands and doubting His words of promise. When they sinned, every bit of creation's perfection and holiness was replaced with evil and corruption and heartbreak. And death. Not just mortal death, but eternal suffering and death.
And that takes us to more words from our text that surprise us. Listen again to verse 41: "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'" The kingdom of God was prepared for mankind from the foundation of the world, but the eternal punishment of hell was created only after Satan and his followers rebelled against God. It was prepared only for Satan and his angels – not for mankind.
Many of us are familiar with St. Paul's assertion that God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, and in these words of our Gospel lesson we clearly see that this was always God's plan. But as sinners, none of us on our own can be saved. As sinners, we deserve nothing less than the same curse and punishment prepared for Satan and his angels. And that’s exactly where Satan wants us. In his great hatred and eternal rebellion against God, Satan wants you to suffer with him and his angels in that eternal fire. Satan was banished from heaven to a fate of eternal damnation, and he wants you to suffer that same damnation, too.
All of us – every single one of us – were on a one-way trip to hell, and there isn’t a single thing that any of us can do about it. But there is one who could do something about it. There is one who did do something about it. And you know who it is: Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Even when we wallow in our deepest and most disgusting sins, Jesus refuses to give up on us. Jesus sees us not as worthless scum who deserve to die, but as His beautiful and beloved sheep. He sees each and every one of us as His VIPs – His very important persons. It’s no accident that these words of our Gospel lesson today represent the final public preaching of Jesus before He was arrested on Maundy Thursday, was crucified on Good Friday – and was raised from the dead on Easter morning. Thanks be to God, this, too – your salvation – was also prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
In the year 1304, an artist by the name of Giotto de Bondone began working on a series of paintings that covered the walls of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy. At the very back of the chapel was the largest scene, a depiction of the last judgment. The painting covers the entire wall – and just as we read in our Gospel lesson today, those who are raised to eternal life are on Christ’s right, while those raised to eternal punishment are on Christ’s left. At the bottom of the painting is the doorway by which worshippers depart from the chapel to return to the world. Every time they leave that chapel, the very last image they see is Christ returning in glory to take His faithful people to the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world.
Although we don’t have a painting like that over our doors as we exit St. Paul Lutheran Church, try to keep that image in mind as you depart at the end of today’s service. As you walk up this aisle, visualize what it will be like when you actually see not a painting, but Jesus Himself on the last day. Jesus who separates the sheep from the goats. Jesus who gathers you, His precious sheep – His very important persons – and leads you to the kingdom that He has prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
And as you visualize that last day on this last Sunday of the Church year, I would like to leave you with the last words from the last book of the Bible, the words that St. John was inspired to write in Revelation chapter 22 verses 20 and 21: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.”
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