Jesus told His followers that He was going to prepare a place for them and that in His Second
Coming that place, that kingdom, would be fully established and ready for those who have placed
their trust in Christ and His finished work at the cross. The other destiny, the place we call hell,
that place outside of the kingdom, was established the minute Adam and Eve were banned from
the garden. Jesus came to rescue us from that default place of death knowing that those who
refused to believe in Him were condemned to it already (John 3:16-19).

Reflection

What is the significance of the repeated use of the word “Behold”? How are we to see the things
that God is asking us to see in this chapter? How is God’s grace and patience on display in verse
1? How do you think people (nonbelievers and believers alike) provoke God? How have you
provoked Him and how should these verses serve as a warning to the church? How does the
parable that Jesus tells in Matthew 25:31-46 make you feel? How should it motivate us to
obedience to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission? Do you believe that Jesus
means what He says at the end of Matthew 25:46 when he distinguishes between a place of
everlasting punishment and a place of eternal life?