Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth - Matthew 13:50

Matthew the apostle wrote how Jesus said, “the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just”, and in chapter thirteen and verse fifty of his book, Matthew wrote how Jesus tells His disciples how the angels, “there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” where we read:

And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The verse reads, “And shall cast them into the furnace of fire:” Matthew began with the words, “and shall cast them” which means “and will throw, scatter and pour the wicked and unjust” “into the furnace” or “in the smelting and burning place” “of fire” which means “of fiery fire”. Matthew shared how Jesus said the “wicked and evil ones” which the “angels gathered” would be “thrown into” a “fiery furnace”.

The verse continues, “there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew added the words, “there shall be wailing” which means “there will exist weeping and lamentation” “and gnashing” or “which denotes extreme anguish and utter despair of men consigned to eternal punishment in hell, snarling, growling in the sense of biting” “of teeth” which means “with the teeth of their bodies”. Matthew shared how this “fiery furnace” shall cause people put there to “weep in torment and grind their teeth”.

When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we see the anguish of the people who will be thrown into the “furnace of fire”. This place of torment shall be so horrific that people will “wail” and “grind their teeth” in their torture. God desires to “save” everyone from this dreadful fate, and He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die for their sins that they might not be thrown there. Let those who consider these things understand the awesomeness of Jesus' words and yield their lives to Him as their personal “Savior and Lord” today before that fearful and dreadful day come.

Next time Matthew shares how Jesus asks His disciples, “have you understood all these things?”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.