The last shall be first

1. A saying of Jesus; in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus declares that in the world to come, “The last shall be first and the first last.”

The teaching implies that those who have prospered through wickedness will fail, whereas the good who have suffered for the sake of God will win salvation (see also salvation).

Example Sentences

Liberating those who suffer from structural oppression is God’s first — preferred — choice: “The last shall be first,” as Jesus explains in the Gospel of Matthew.

From Washington Post

Quoting the Bible, he says, “The last shall be first.”

From Washington Times

For in Pelosi’s vineyard, the last shall be first and the first shall be last.

From Washington Times

An Episcopalian and a married gay man, Buttigieg pointed to the core Christian concept that “the first shall be last; the last shall be first.”

From Washington Post

These kinds of inversions play a significant part in Christian scripture, which frequently proclaims that with God the first shall be last while the last shall be first; the lowly shall be exalted while the exalted shall be brought low.

From New York Times