In Matthew 25, starting in verse 31, Jesus tells his disciples that when the Son of Man (Jesus) comes back and all the angels are with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. And before him will be gathered all the nations. At that time, Jesus will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep (those that have surrendered their lives to Jesus) from the goats (those who have not). In verse 34, Jesus describes what will happen to the sheep who are on his right. To them he will say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” And then in verse 41, Jesus describes what will happen to the goats who are on his left. To them he will say,  “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

In the very beginning, God prepared a Kingdom for YOU. It was designed with YOU in mind. It is an inherited gift, given to YOU by YOUR Heavenly Father. To receive the gift of The Kingdom is to spend eternity with YOUR Heavenly Father.

Although we categorize Hell as a place people go to, a more accurate description is that Hell is a place that God does NOT go to. To be in Hell is to be eternally separated from God.

Hell was NOT prepared for you. God designed and prepared it for the devil and his angels. In the end, when Jesus returns, Satan, who was once one of God’s angels, will be forced to permanently leave Heaven because he will not surrender his own will. From the very beginning, Satan has refused to submit to the authority of God. Instead, Satan longs to be like God — to have his own kingdom — one that is devoid of God’s presence. And God, in his great mercy, will, in the end, give Satan exactly what he desires. Satan’s kingdom is called Hell. And in that place Satan will be free to rule and reign as he sees fit. But that isn’t enough to satisfy him. After all, what good is a kingdom without people? So in order to fill his kingdom with loyal subjects, Satan works day and night, stamping out any belief that God exists, with the ultimate goal of getting as many people as possible to reject God. And when the pews of Hell are full, Satan will require the payment of both their allegiance and their worship.

From the very foundation of the world, two kingdoms have been prepared. Hell, which God prepared for the devil and his angels, and Heaven, which God prepared for YOU.  Both kingdoms are eternal. One is a blessing, and one is a curse. But only one was prepared for YOU.  Why would you want to be stuck, for eternity, in a kingdom that was NOT prepared or designed with you in mind? The Kingdom of God is an inherited gift. And here’s the best part: you don’t have to die to receive it — Jesus already did that for you by taking your place on the cross.  The promise of eternal life is available today. Your gift awaits — accept it. Surrender your life to Jesus, the one true Lord and Savior, and receive The Kingdom that God prepared in the very beginning just for YOU.