Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
This verse comes from a teaching Jesus gave about the final judgment, where he describes the end of history as a moment when all people are separated — like a shepherd at the end of the day sorting sheep from goats. In the culture of Jesus' time, the left side was associated with dishonor, while the right was a position of blessing and favor. Those on the left are sent away into eternal fire. Notably, Jesus says this fire was originally prepared for the devil and his angels — not for people. This is one of the most sobering statements in the entire New Testament, and it comes from Jesus himself, the same figure most known for compassion and forgiveness.
God, this verse is hard, and I do not want to look away from it or explain it away. Thank you that this end was not designed for me — or for anyone. Give me eyes to see the people around me who need care, and the courage to actually show up for them. Amen.
Most of us would rather skip this verse. It does not fit neatly into the warm, affirming image of Jesus that feels easier to live with. But this is the same Jesus who held children in his arms, wept at a friend's grave, and asked the Father to forgive the people driving spikes through his hands. He is the one saying these words. That means we cannot separate his compassion from his warnings, or decide that a loving God would never speak this way. The full story Jesus tells here is striking: the dividing line is not church attendance or the right theology — it is whether people fed the hungry, visited prisoners, and welcomed strangers. This verse is not designed to terrorize you. But it is meant to wake something up. Underneath the judgment there is grief — God did not prepare this place for people. That matters. It means this verse is also a deeply urgent invitation to pay attention to how you are actually living, especially toward the people no one else notices. Not to earn your way in. But because what you love and what you do shapes who you are becoming, slowly and surely, one ordinary day at a time.
Why do you think Jesus — the figure most associated with grace and compassion — is the one delivering this judgment? What does that tell you about his character as a whole?
Does this verse change anything about how you think about the choices you make on a regular Tuesday — not just the big moral decisions, but the small, quiet ones?
Many people find the concept of eternal judgment genuinely difficult to reconcile with a loving God. How do you hold that tension honestly, without dismissing either side?
In the broader passage this verse comes from, the dividing line is how people treated those on the margins. Who are the overlooked or vulnerable people in your community that this might be pointing you toward?
What is one concrete action you could take this week that is directly and honestly inspired by taking this verse seriously?
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
2 Peter 2:4
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
Jude 1:6
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
Revelation 22:3
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
1 John 3:18
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:23
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
Psalms 1:5
Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
2 Thessalonians 1:9
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Revelation 20:10
"Then He will say to those on His left, 'Leave Me, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels (demons);
AMP
“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.
ESV
'Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
NASB
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
NIV
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
NKJV
“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.
NLT
"Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell.
MSG