The Judgment

Matthew 25:31-34

Oil on Canvas

24 x 30

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”

The inspiration for this painting came to me as I was in the Apple store in New York. This store on 5th Avenue is completely underground. You walk down a glass staircase to enter the store. It is quite beautiful and I was thinking that the road to hell can appear quite beautiful also. I was just standing there looking up at the street and the sky. I was in amazement that I have never had such a view from under street level. As I stood there looking up, people were ascending and descending the staircase. People were also walking along the sidewalks outside, going about their business seemingly without a thought of the Judgment sure to come. The Holy Spirit quickened my mind to some verses. This Parable being foremost since it talks about the separation. An overwhelming sense of permanence hit me that once the Judgment is rendered there will be no more freedom to walk up the staircase and into the glorious light. That light being the light of the Son, will be much more desired that the light I was seeing outside now. I just want this painting to be a reminder to all who see it that Jesus is coming and so is the Judgment. Hopefully this true and sure fact will spur us on to share the good news of the Gospel to as many as possible.