Followers of Jesus Christ will partake of many of the same sorrows that others experience, as we have seen. Indeed, they will have some pain that non-believers do not, for their loving hearts will break over their own sin and the ravages of evil in the world. On the other hand, those who trust in Christ and follow Him faithfully will not have to endure certain types of bitter anguish. Since their faith is sincere and not just superficial, they will not hear Him say, at the end of the age, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:23). When they read, see, or hear about miracles done by the power of Jesus, they repent of their sins and trust in Him. Thus, they will not suffer the same fate as those who saw His wonders but did not repent, and about whom Jesus said, “It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you” (Matthew 11:24). They hear His word and bring forth works of righteousness by trusting in Him, so they will not be like “those who practice lawlessness,” who will be “cast into the furnace of fire,” where “there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth” at the end of the age (Matthew 13:41-42). They try to make good use of the time and talents God has given them, so that, when Jesus returns to judge the world, they will not be “cast… into the outer darkness” (Matthew 25:30). When they see other Christians in need, they treat them as they would Jesus Himself; thus, they will not “go away into everlasting punishment” with those whose hearts were hard towards suffering believers (Matthew 25:46). In other words, they will be comforted by going “into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46), where all their earthly sorrows will be forgotten. They will never be separated from the love of God. And why is that? Because they have trusted in, and sought to follow, God’s Son Jesus, who took their place as a sin offering on the cross, where He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46).