Judgment of the Sheep and Goats
Exposition of
Matthew 25:31-46
www.bibleone.net
Preface
This segment of Holy Scripture
portrays the final portion of Christ’s reply to a few of His disciples,
contained in chapters 24 and
25 of
Matthew, when they approached Him
with certain questions while He was sitting on the Mount of Olives. The term
“Mount of Olives” is a term sometimes applied to the four hills east of
Jerusalem that form a ridge running in a north-south direction; but, popularly,
it refers only to the central pair of these hills directly east of the temple
area and with an elevation of 2,723 feet, approximately 173 feet above Jerusalem
proper.
The Mount of Olives is named in connection with
David’s flight from Absalom (2 Sam 15:30) and in Zech 14:4, which speaks of the
Lord’s coming when the mount will split from E to W. It is referred to as a
stage in the departure of God’s presence from Jerusalem in Ezekiel’s day (Ezk
11:23). In the NT it is mentioned as the favorite resort of Christ as He
withdrew from Jerusalem. It was the start of His triumphal entry (Mt 21:1),
scene of His weeping over Jerusalem (Lk 19:37-41), His eschatological
instruction (Mt 24-25), His agony in Gethsemane (Mt 26:30), and His ascension
(Acts 1:9-12). It will be the mount of His return (Acts 1:11; cf. Zech 14:4).
(Wycliffe Bible Dictionary, Hendrickson Publishers, 2000, R. Laird
Harris, Ph.D., Professor of Old Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary, St.
Louis, MO.)
As Jesus was leaving the temple
complex, which included the sanctuary (the holy place and the holy of holies),
at least 4 courtyards (for priests, Jewish men, Jewish women, and Gentiles),
numerous gates, and several covered walkways; one of His disciples said to Him:
“Teacher, look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings!” (Mark
13:1) Jesus responded to this disciple: “Do you see these great
buildings? Not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown
down!” (Mark 13:2) This
weighed on the minds of His disciples. Once seated on the Mount of Olives,
which was across from the temple complex, “Peter, James, John, and Andrew
asked Him privately, ‘Tell us, when will these things happen? And what
is the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?’” (Mark
13:3; Matthew 24:3)
These three questions initiated
a prophetic response from Christ that runs the scope of two chapters in the book
of Matthew (24,
25) and portions of Mark 13
and Luke 21. Within the two
chapters in the book of Matthew,
He reveals signs of the end of the age, predicted persecutions, the Great
Tribulation, the two phases of the coming of the Son of Man (for His bride the
Church and also after His Millennial Reign), the parable of the fig tree, the
unknowable time of His coming, the importance of faithful service, the parable
of the 10 virgins, the parable of the talents; and, finally, the judgment of the
sheep and the goats.
The judgment of the sheep and
goats, which concludes Christ’s dialog with His disciples in this passage,
should not be confused with the Great White Throne Judgment that is described in
Revelation 20:11-15. In that judgment, which takes place after the 1,000
year reign of Christ upon the earth and the final battle with and defeat of
Satan and His armies, the ultimate destination of every lost soul that has ever
lived upon earth will be determined and pronounced publicly by God. In that
judgment every person who has not come to the Creator by faith alone but
instead has opted in life to determine his eternal future by self-means will
have the opportunity to have his “works” examined by God for eternal
sufficiency. The verdict for each one will be unmistakable; all works by man,
no matter how noble and decent, will be as “filthy (Heb: menstrual)
rags” before God (Isaiah 64:6). All self-efforts by anyone will be
insufficient to warrant eternal life with God; therefore, “anyone not found
written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation
20:15)
It is important to understand
that a person’s works has nothing to do with one’s eternal destination
(salvation); it is solely based on his faith-acceptance or rejection of Jesus
Christ as God in the flesh and His sacrifice on Calvary’s cross as full-payment
for all sin and admission to heaven’s bliss.
This exposition will cover the
last of the eschatological (prophetic end-time) revelations addressed by Christ
in Matthew 25, that of the judgment of the sheep and goats. To properly
understand many of the eschatological revelations within God’s Word, to include
these in Matthew, one should
understand that their have been several “administrative periods of time,” often
called “ages” or “dispensations” in which God has dealt with His creation.
The number and length of these
dispensations may not be wholly agreed upon by students and scholars of
prophecy; but most agree to one extent or the other that God has administered
and will administer His will toward humankind in various ways from, throughout
and to the end of time. But even though God has dealt and will deal with
humankind in different manners throughout time; there is one administration of
His will that has never and will never change, which is “the just
[righteous] shall live by faith” (Habakkuk
2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38).
Clarence Larkin in his masterful
work, The Greatest Book on Dispensational Truth in the World, Rev.
Clarence Larkin Estate, 1918, depicts the following dispensations:
- Creative Ages
- Age of Conscience (between
Eden and the Flood)
- Age of Law (between the
Flood and the Incarnation of Christ)
- Church Age (between the
death of Christ and the Rapture of the Church and the first resurrection)
- Judgment Age (between the
Rapture of the Church to Christ’s second coming)
- Kingdom Age (between
Christ’s second coming and the second resurrection and the renovation of the
heavens and earth by fire, a period of 1,000 years of Christ’s kingdom upon
earth)
- Perfect Age (from the
renovation of the heavens and earth by fire and beyond)
Age of the Gentiles
Prior to the coming of Christ,
the Jewish people were taught by their religious leaders not to associate or
visit with Gentiles, also known as the “nations (John 4:9; Acts 10:28).
But this was never the intent of God. He singled out Israel to be a special
people for the specific purpose of being a light (a testimony) to the rest of
the world of God and His grace and glory.
Under the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants the
Jews had a God-given responsibility toward the nations. God had chosen their
father Abraham (Isa 51:2) and made a covenant with him for the blessing of all
the nations of the earth (Gen 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14). This promise
became the basis for the covenantal relationship with the redeemed Israelites at
Mount Sinai: “Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant,
then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is
Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex 19:5-6,
NASB). “A kingdom of priests . . . among all the peoples”—thus did God
consecrate Israel for service to bear a witness among the nations and to bring
them to worship Him.
Repeatedly through the prophets the Lord
reminded the nation of Israel of His purpose. In spite of this, Jonah as a
prophet and the people as a whole were deaf to their covenantal responsibility (Isa
42:19). Nevertheless God kept on calling: “You are My witnesses, . . . and My
servant whom I have chosen” (Isa 43:10). He foretold that He would pour out His
Spirit on all mankind (Joel 2:28), and that He would restore the fallen house of
David so that His people might possess all the nations who are called by His
name (Amos 9:11-12). God announced His coming to gather all nations in order to
see His glory, and that He would send His remnant to distant nations which had
not heard His fame to declare His glory among them (Isa 66:18-19). Zechariah
(2:11) and Malachi (1:11) among the post-Exilic prophets continued to publish
the Lord’s desire to make all the nations to be His people as well as Israel.
(Wycliffe Bible Dictionary, Hendrickson Publishers, 2000, John Rea, Th.D.,
Theological Lecturer and Editor)
While Christ walked the earth,
He demonstrated that His love and mercy extended to all mankind (John 3: 16;
4:1-26). God made it clear by means of a vision to the Apostle Peter that
God’s grace-message of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone was to be
extended to both the Jew and Gentile alike (Acts 10). The Gentiles who
were to accept Him by faith were the “other sheep that are not of this
fold [Israel]” that Christ mentioned in John 10:16.
Because God’s chosen people
(Israel) had rejected and crucified Him, He then directed His gospel message
toward the Gentiles, which was referred to by Christ as the “times of the
Gentiles” in Luke 21:24 and by the apostle Paul as the “fullness
of the Gentiles” in Romans 11:25. This “Age of the Gentiles”
incorporates both the “Church Age” and the “Judgment Age” listed above by
Clarence Larkin.
Exposition of the Passage
As stated, other scholars and
students see the division of the ages somewhat differently and may even use
different names for them; but, by and large, most agree that God’s creation is
divided into several dispensations. The passage in
Matthew 25:31-46 reveals the end of
one of these dispensations (“Age of the Gentiles”), and is part of the answer
Christ gives to the question: “And what is the sign . . . of the end of the
age?” as expressed in Matthew 24:3.
The format of “When, Where, Who, and What” will be utilized to outline and
explain the meaning of this passage of Scripture. It is important to understand
that this passage is not another parable. Here Christ is speaking of an actual,
factual, and material event.
When
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all
the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
(Matthew 25:31)
Some prophetic scholars view the
Second Coming” of Jesus Christ as a two-fold event: (1) His coming in the
atmosphere to snatch up (rapture) His saints, which will end the dispensation of
the Church; (2) and a few years later (but not less than 7 years), His return
to physically set foot on earth (Mount of Olives) to enact judgment on the
“nations,” to end the dispensation or Age of the Gentiles, and to initiate His
millennial (1,000 year) reign (kingdom) upon earth. Others refer to Christ’s
Second Coming specifically as the second event, the coming back to earth;
leaving the first event to be referred to as the Rapture. In this exposition
the two events will be classified in this manner: the first event referring to
the coming back of Christ in the atmosphere to snatch up His Church will be
referred to as the Rapture; and the second event when He returns to earth to set
up His Kingdom will be referred to as the Second Coming.
And it is precisely the
identification of which one of these events that will facilitate the
clarification of the meaning of this passage of eschatological scripture. Is
Christ speaking of the Rapture? Or, is He speaking of His coming back literally
and physically down to earth? To understand which one He is referring to, it is
helpful to outline the differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming.
- The Rapture
The following
are characteristics of the Rapture:
- Christ comes in the
atmosphere for His own (only for believers), His bride.
Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2
Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 19:7; 21:9; 22:17
- Only His own see Him when
He appears in the atmosphere.
1 Corinthians 1:7, 8; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
- Christ’s appearance in the
atmosphere will be accompanied by a shout, with the archangel voice, and
with the trumpet of God.
1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
- His own (Christians), both
resurrected saints and those who are still alive, are translated—snatched
up—and transformed (given resurrected bodies like His) to meet Him in the
atmosphere.
1 Corinthians 15:51-54; Philippians 3:20, 21;
Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:1; 1 John 2:28-3:2
- Christians (Christ’s
bride) are taken to the Father’s House (heaven).
John 14:1-3
- No judgment of His own
will take place on earth.
- It precedes the “coming
wrath” (Tribulation Period).
1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9; Revelation 3:10
- Christ’s coming is
imminent (any moment) and its time is unknown (no signs precede it).
Matthew 24:36-44; 25:13; Luke 12:40; 1
Thessalonians 5:2
- It is a time of joy and
hope (confident expectation).
1 Thessalonians 2:19; 4:13-18; Titus 2:13;
Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:13
- Subsequent to it is the
judgment of each Christian’s works (for rewards and not for salvation) at
the Judgment (Bema) Seat of Christ in heaven.
Romans 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:1, 8; 1 Corinthians
3:11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; James 5:7-9; 1 Peter 5:4
- Subsequent to it is the
marriage of the Lamb to His bride (the Church) and the marriage feast.
Matthew 25:1-13; Revelation 19:6-9
- There is no mention of
Satan in connection with it.
- The Second Coming
The following
are characteristics of the Second Coming:
·
Christ comes with His army (His bride and His holy angels) back to
earth.
Matthew 13:37-43; 24:15-31; Acts 1:9-11; 2
Thessalonians 1:6-10; Jude 14, 15; Revelation 19:11-20:6
·
Everyone will see Christ’s return to earth.
Matthew 24:15-31; 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 21:27;
Revelation 1:7
·
It is a time of mourning.
Zechariah 12:10; Matthew 13:37-42; 24:15-31;
Jude 14, 15
·
No one is translated (snatched up) into the atmosphere.
·
Resurrected saints do not see the Father’s House.
·
Christ judges the inhabitants of earth.
Daniel 12:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; 2
Thessalonians 1:6-10; Jude 14, 15; Revelation 19:11-20:6
·
It is not imminent, since at least 7 years of tribulation must
first transpire on earth prior to it.
Daniel 12:1-3; Matthew 24:9-27; Mark 13:9-27; 1
Peter 4:12, 13
·
Many signs precede it.
Matthew 24:9-31; Mark 13:9-27; Luke 21:25-28
·
It affects all humanity upon earth.
Daniel 7:9-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; Jude 14,
15
·
Results in Satan being bound in the Abyss for 1,000 years.
Daniel 7:11; Matthew 13:39, 42; 2 Thessalonians
2:8; Revelation 20:1-3
·
It begins with the conquering of the nations and initiates the
1,000 year Kingdom of Christ upon the earth.
Daniel 2:44, 45; 7:9-14; Zechariah 14:1-15;
Matthew 13:37-43; 2 Thessalonians 6-10; Revelation 19:11-20:6
A review of both the Rapture and
the Second Coming of Christ indicates that the account given in Matthew
25:31-46 cannot refer to the Rapture. And as previously discussed, the
judgment mentioned in this passage is not to be confused with the Great
White Throne Judgment depicted in Revelation 20:11-15.
It is also important to
understand that the Sheep and Goat Judgment is not the “Bema (Heb)
Seat Judgment” or “Judgment Seat of Christ,” at which the works of all
Christians will be evaluated for either loss or gain of “rewards” (Romans
14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; John 5:22, 27; Colossians
3:23-25).
At that judgment it is important
to understand that the judgment of sin for one’s salvation is not in question;
since this was an issue settled at the cross in the person of his substitute,
the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter
2:24). The issue is strictly one of rewards based on a Christian’s quality
of service.
It is important to understand
the Sheep and Goat Judgment within context. It comes at the end of Christ’s
explanation of end-time events, the signs of His return to earth and the end of
the age. The specific age referred herein is the “Age of the Gentiles,” also
known as the “Age of the Nations.” Therefore, the “when” of this passage refers
to the end of the Great Tribulation (which follows the Rapture) upon earth,
which terminates the Age of the Gentiles.
Where
“ . . .
He will sit on the throne of His glory.
(Matthew 25:31)
It is after the Great
Tribulation, when Christ returns to set foot on earth and
establish His Millennial Kingdom that this passage refers. Prior to this time
Christ has been positioned at the “right hand of God” (Acts 7:55, 56; Romans
8:34; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 8:1; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22); but, when He
comes in His glory back to earth to set up and reign over His earthly
kingdom, he will then sit “on the throne of His glory (Revelation
19:11-20:6). Therefore, the “where” of this passage refers to earth.
Verse 31 settles beyond any doubt just when
Christ will sit on the throne of His glory. It is at His coming in glory. The
throne of Christ will be at Jerusalem (Mic. 4:7, 8), David’s throne (2 Sam.
7:16; Isa. 9:7; Luke 1:32, 33). (The
King of the Jews—A Verse-by-Verse Commentary on The Gospel According to Matthew,
John R. Rice, D.D., Litt.D., Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1955)
Who
All the nations will be gathered before Him, and
He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the
goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
. . . And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you,
inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to
Me.” (Matthew 25: 32, 33, 40)
There are two classes of people
referred to in this eschatological passage at the end of the book of Matthew:
the “nations” and “my brethren;” although, the first class has two subgroups
(sheep and goats). The word “nations,” (sometimes translated as “peoples”) as
used in the Old Testament, most often refers to Gentiles (Israel is never spoken
of as one of the nations in the Bible). These are the ones who are judged.
They cannot be the Jews, because at the Second Coming “all Israel will be
saved” (Romans 11:26; Zechariah 12:10; 13:1). At this time the
surviving Israelites will see the Messiah come and will look upon Him as
the one whom they have pierced (Zechariah 12:10) and be saved, so they
are exempted from further judgment.
The other class of people is “My
brethren,” and these are the 144,000 Jewish witnesses mentioned in Revelation
7:4 (and possibly other Jewish converts). They will carry the testimony of
Christ during the seven years of Tribulation and most likely will need to be
supported by others (including Gentiles) during their missionary journeys
throughout the terrified world of the Antichrist, as is evident in Matthew
25:34-40.
The “sheep” are those Gentiles
who accept the Lord Jesus Christ by faith during the Tribulation. The
“goats” are those Gentiles who do not receive Christ as Savior. Many Gentiles
will listen to the 144,000 witnesses and be saved. There are those who doubt
that the Tribulation Period will be a time of salvation, but it is. If no one
were saved, there would be no need of a judgment between the sheep and goats.
The sheep are the vast multitude dressed in white robes of Revelation 7:9.
Some commentators see these
three groups—Jewish believers/witnesses, Gentile believers, and Gentile
non-believers—as three separate classes. That is fine. But some believe that
“My brethren” include all believers, both Jew and Gentile, which then creates a
perplexity in their classification of the “sheep.” This commentator sees two
classes: Gentiles and Jews, with the Gentiles divided into two subgroups:
believers (sheep) and non-believers (goats).
What
Then the King will say to those on His right
hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was
thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked
and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came
to Me.” Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You
hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a
stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick,
or in prison, and come to You?” And the King will answer and say to them,
“Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My
brethren, you did it to Me.” Then He will also say to those on the left hand,
“Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil
and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you
gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did
not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.” Then they also
will answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a
stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?” Then He
will answer them, saying, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do
it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” And these will go
away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
(Matthew 25:34-46)
The conduct to be judged at this
event will be the charitable hand of brotherhood extended by Gentiles to the
144,000 Jewish witnesses during the Tribulation Period. Because of the severity
of the times, such behavior, or lack of it, will definitely and without fail
reveal the person’s state of salvation—an indicator that is often not so
revealing during the Church Age.
Ministers and laymen alike have
quoted this passage about caring for the hungry and the thirsty and visiting
those in prison, misapplying it as mandatory conduct for all Christians during
the Church Age. Even more, there are those who use this passage to foster the
diabolical belief (doctrine) that salvation is a product of good works or
deeds. Whereas such behavior is certainly appropriate and recommended for all
Christians during any dispensation, the student of the Bible must be certain
that salvation has been, is now, and will always and only be by faith alone
in Christ alone. The works mentioned in this passage may only be
contextually applied to those Tribulation Gentiles that evidence their genuine
faith in Christ by their outward demonstration of charity toward the
144,000 Jewish witnesses, during a time of such horrific circumstances that such
charity could only be evident from a position of true faith in Christ.
For centuries churchmen have quoted the passage
about feeding the hungry and visiting those in prison, and so forth, which the
Lord utilizes in this judgment. Salvation during any period is by faith alone
and not by works, however splendid the works. But the distinction of the
Tribulation Period is that the Lord will specifically ask for the works which
invariably accompany that faith. And so it is perfectly right that we adopt in
any age, the standards applied to those who must live through the horrors of the
Great Tribulation in evidencing our own Christianity. Surely if these works are
to be asked of those who might suffer capital punishment for undertaking them,
then how much more would they be expected of those of us who exist in relative
peace, when the works are quite easy to do.
(The Promised Land by Zola Levitt)
John R. Rice, D.D., Litt.D. in
his book, The King of the Jews—A Verse-by-Verse Commentary on The Gospel
According to Matthew, Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1955, had the following
to say regarding this matter:
“All nations” (vs. 32) does not indicate a
judgment of nations as separate entities. It does not mean that one nation will
be saved entirely and another entire nation be condemned. Rather it means a
judgment of people, individuals of all nations. Nations cannot be condemned to
depart into fire (vs. 41). Nations do not visit the sick, give people water or
food, etc., and are not rewarded with everlasting blessings. No other
government will stand after Christ comes to set up His kingdom, as the Scripture
explicitly says (Dan. 2:35, 45). The government of Christ excludes and must
destroy every other government. No, this judgment is of individuals, of all
nations, living people who will come through the Great Tribulation.
Note that at this time the battle of Armageddon
will just have been completed and all the armies of the Antichrist will have
been destroyed (Rev. 19:20, 21). Here the civil population of the earth will be
judged, saved Gentiles (sheep), unsaved Gentiles (goats), and “brethren” of
Christ (Jews). Notice again that what people do in the Great Tribulation time
for Christ and for His people will truly represent their hearts. It will not be
a time where people could hope to gain anything by deceit and hypocrisy. Men
will suffer for taking the part of the Jews, suffer for witnessing for Christ.
Those who hate the Antichrist, who defy him and risk his wrath, those who take
up for God’s chosen people, the Jews, will do so because of truly Christian
hearts. Men could not be judged now by their religious acts, since it is
popular to appear good, to appear Christian, and it is unpopular to appear an
atheist, to appear immoral. The contrary will be true during the Great
Tribulation time. Those who take the part of God’s people Israel will do so
because they are led of God and do it from sincere hearts.
Revelation 12:6 tells how the woman representing
Israel will flee into the wilderness and how God will have prepared her a place
“that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days,”
and Revelation 12:14 and 16 refer to the same thing. God will prepare a place
for fleeing Jews, running for their lives from the Antichrist. Those fleeing
from Jerusalem as they are commanded to do when the abomination of desolation
takes place (Matt. 24:15-21) will find Gentile friends whose hearts God has
opened to receive them and protect them. Verses 34 to 40 show how these
Christian Gentiles will be received and rewarded on His return for taking the
part of his beloved “brethren,” the Jews, so dear to God, so wonderfully chosen,
and never cast away.
On the other hand, Gentiles who take the mark of
the Antichrist and help follow his policies of destroying the Jews will be
against God. Their lives will reflect the state of their hearts. Revelation
13:8 indicates that everybody on earth will worship the Antichrist except those
“whose names are written in the book of life.” The plain inference of that
verse is that to be for the Antichrist is to be forever lost, and to be openly
against the antichrist and taking part with God’s people will be positive proof
of salvation. . . . .
It must be kept clear in studying these
Scriptures that God has no change in the plan of salvation. People are not
really saved by visiting those in prison. Good deeds do not save.
Nothing is clearer from the Word of God than that. Again and again we told, “By
the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified” (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16),
that it is “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5), and “not of works, lest any man should
boast” (Eph. 2:9). People are not saved by good works. Nor is it safe to judge
people in this generation by good works. Only God sees the heart, and we are
commanded, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matt. 7:1). Only Jesus Himself
knows all about people and can properly judge those who are saved and unsaved,
and He will do so in the judgment pictured here. Besides, the stand of people
for or against God will be much clearer in those tribulation times than now, and
will more truly picture the heart. . . . .
Verse 34 is clear evidence that when Jesus
judges the living of all nations on His return to the earth the saved will enter
immediately into the joy of their Lord (vss. 21, 23) and into “the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Just as certainly verses 41
and 46 show that living Gentiles who will reject Christ in the tribulation time,
and come to face Him unsaved, will be immediately cast into Hell-fire. . . . .
Conclusion
This judgment takes place at the
end of the Tribulation Period, which determines the state of salvation and
destination for those Gentiles who lived through this era. Those Gentiles who
“pass” (are saved by faith alone in Christ alone) will inherit eternal
life and enter the Kingdom of Christ, which will last 1,000 years upon the
earth. Those Gentiles who “fail” (never been saved by faith in Christ)
will depart into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels
(eternal punishment).
Postscript
The above commentary was
reviewed by Darrell Young of
www.focusonjerusalem.com. His comments follow:
I concur with this article. I would only add
that the governing institutions of the nations are judged in this present age. I
believe that in like manner as the sheep-goat judgment at the end of the
Tribulation era, where Christ is seated on His throne, God also judges nations
in the present world order, as He always has. The US especially needs to be
mindful of this fact as it continues to coerce Israel into cursed-compromises.
Nations and their foreign policy regarding Israel are continually judged
throughout the ages by God.
