In the previous chapters, it was argued that Matthew combined his Christian and Jewish sources to arrive at a distinctive portrayal of Jesus as the saviour figure, the Son of Man. The Son of Man will return in glory with his angelic army, and will then sit upon his glorious throne to preside over the final judgement. As the one who sits in judgement, it is Jesus the Son of Man who dispenses eschatological rewards and punishments. As we would expect from an author for whom the judgement is paramount, Matthew devotes a considerable amount of space to each category. In relation to this subject, it is important to note that there is no hint in Matthew that the wicked dead or the righteous dead receive a sample of their respective eschatological fates in the intermediate period between death and the final judgement. While such an idea is found in later Jewish apocalyptic eschatology and is prominent in other New Testament writings, particularly the gospel of Luke (16:19–31;23:43), it seems to play no part in Matthew's apocalyptic-eschatological scheme. This means that all emphasis falls on the final judgement and its aftermath.

The fate of the wicked

Matthew has a good deal to say about the ultimate fate of the wicked. The picture he presents is not a pretty one and is in fact among the most severe of the apocalyptic-eschatological schemes of his time. There are references of a general nature which state that the wicked will meet with condemnation (12:41–2), destruction (7:13) and eternal punishment (25:46), but more revealing than these are his specific statements about the fate of the wicked.