In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus tells a story. It's not His typical parable nor is it exactly a clear prophecy. Rather, it is a startling picture of what the coming judgment will be like for those who belong to God and have a place in His kingdom (vv. 34-40), and those who will be sent away to eternal punishment (vv. 41-46).

The separation of sheep and goats catches all present by surprise. Both groups ask the same question about the criteria used to judge them: ″When did we see you . . . and help (or not help)?″ (vv. 37-39, 44) Jesus is teaching them that they have misunderstood and therefore misapplied what it means to be righteous. This scene of judgment is meant to correct a significant misperception about who would enter the kingdom of God and why.

Amos does a fair amount of theological correction in his messages to Israel. Here, he addresses the issue of ″the day of the Lord″ (Amos 5:18). In ancient Israel's theology, this was highly anticipated as God's ultimate blessing to Israel as His people. In their incomplete understanding, the day of the Lord represented the time when Israel would be victorious and dominant in all aspects of life, from social to economic to militaristic–when all of life would be perfect.

Amos seems to shake his head at this idea. You can almost hear him thinking, Why do you think that the day of the Lord is going to be a good thing for you? He tells the Israelites that it is going to be the exact opposite of what they expect. They are looking forward to light and life (v. 18), but Amos says that the day of the Lord will be darkness, ″pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness″ (v. 20)

This contrast of light and darkness sandwiches Amos' message of inevitable, unavoidable disaster (v. 19). Imagine that you were the person running for your life from the claws and jaws of a lion. You do so but your relief at escaping one terrible fate is short-lived, as the next predator, a bear, takes up the chase. Somehow, you miraculously escape the bear and make it to the safety of your home. Tired, you rest your hand on the wall, thinking that the worst is surely over . . . only to be bitten by a snake inside your own home. Your demise seems to be fated.

For the Israelites, says Amos, there is no escaping the day of the Lord. It will be a day to be feared and not celebrated, because they have wrongly understood their position with the Lord . Their chosen status (see 3:1-2) puts them in a position of greater responsibility to act rightly and justly. Failure to do so will bring the darkness of judgment.