James Smith

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit upon His glorious throne! All the nations will be gathered in His presence, and He will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at His right hand—and the goats at His 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 creation of the world!'

Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones—into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons!'

And they will go away into eternal punishment—but the righteous will go into eternal life!" Matthew 25:31-46

There have been many great days in the world's history—but there is a day coming which will be greater than them all, therefore called emphatically "The Great Day." The Lord Jesus will then appear in great pomp and glory. Great numbers will be collected together before his throne—even all who have ever lived in our world. The great separation between the world and the redeemed church will then be made—and eternal destinies will be fixed!

The great white throne will be seen by all,
the great Judge of the world will take his seat upon it,
the great books will be opened, and
the great multitude will be judged according to the things which are written in the books.
Every motive, every thought, every word, and every action is recorded there; and every person will be judged according to his works.

Reader, YOU will be there! Not as a mere spectator—but as a party deeply interested in the proceedings of that day. You will then be judged, and be either welcomed to a kingdom prepared for the Lord's people—or be driven into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his demons. Which will it be? Have you ever thought of this? Have you ever endeavored to ascertain your eternal destiny? You must appear. It will be impossible to avoid it. Ought you not, then, to think of it, and prepare for it?

That great day ought to awaken great fears in every sinner's heart. It will be dreadful . . .
to meet the Judge's eye,
to face the witnesses,
to hear the sentence,
to endure the punishment of sin.

It ought to make us very careful—careful to be found in Christ, without spot and blemish, careful to be recognized and acknowledged as the sons of God, and the obedient disciples of the Lord of glory.

It ought to raise high expectations in the believer's soul. It will be a great day to him.
He will receive great honor.
He will be robed with great glory.
He will enjoy great happiness.
He will be crowned with great distinction.

It will be a great day to every one of us, both saint and sinner. Let us, therefore,
seriously think of it,
diligently prepare for it,
prayerfully anticipate it.

It is near—it may be very near. Happy is the man who can look forward to it with confidence, and anticipate it with delight—who is now justified by faith in Jesus—who daily walks with God—who grows in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior—who can recognize in the Judge, his friend; in the saints, his brethren; and in the Most High God, his father. To him "the great day" will be his best day; for after it there will be no more fears, no more pains, no more sorrows, no more sins! All will be peace, purity, power, and perfection!

My dear reader, will you make it a matter of prayer, that you may be prepared for that day? Will you let it occupy your thoughts, awaken your fears, influence your conduct, and regulate your pursuits? There is nothing that has so great a claim upon your thoughts, as this. To neglect it, is . . .
to despise your own soul,
to trifle with an eternity of woe,
to yield to the cruel suggestions of the prince of darkness, and
to go forward to that solemn scene without the least preparation!

Can you be thus careless, inconsiderate, and unreasonable? Will you leave it until you come on a sick and dying bed, where, racked with pain, or faint with weakness, you need something to comfort you, and feel totally unfit for thought, effort, or even prayer? Just dwell for a few moments on these solemn words of the apostle: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men." 2 Corinthians 5:10-11