Continuity is one of the things provided by a chapter by chapter study like this. Some of the best orators that I have known reveled in topical sermons – picked from all over the Bible. Those may have been some great messages, but they were often pulled out of the context in which the Holy Spirit originally intended them. The lessons and applications may have been Biblical, but they were not what God originally designed.
Keeping in mind the context of these last verses of Matthew 25, we remind ourselves that our Saviour was talking about the last days prior to the establishment of His Millennial Kingdom – His thousand year reign. “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Even though there may be nothing wrong with applying Matthew 24 and 25 in different ways, their primary purpose was to describe the last days of human existence as we have come to understand it. These verses describe the time of “Jacob’s Trouble” – the last half of the seven year Tribulation. They emphasize over and over again, the necessity of preparation and watchfulness. And they speak of the judgments which in some ways are key to the Millennial blessings to come.
I believe that when Christ establishes the kingdom, about which so many prophesies have been given, the initial occupants will all be saints of God – His elect. Re-read the “Kingdom of Heaven” parables of Matthew 13. The wheat will be separated from the tares, and the latter will be burned. Then there is the lesson of Marriage Feast – The King said to a certain main, “Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Millions will have been killed during the Tribulation – both Jews and Gentiles. And then the remnant will stand before the King of kings, as described in these verses to be judged and separated. The so-called “sheep” will be joyfully permitted into the Millennial Kingdom, but the wicked “shall go away into everlasting punishment.”
I am of the opinion that the verses of this scripture speak of the judgment of the nations at the close of the Tribulation just prior to the Millennium.
Let’s begin by considering what is said about THE JUDGE of this judgment.
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.”
Notice that once again, the Lord calls this person “The Son of Man.” This is Jesus’ term for Himself – for His thirty-three years of human incarnation. I could multiply the scriptures to prove this interpretation, but I think that one should be sufficient. Mark 8:34 – “And when (Jesus) had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Christ is referring to Himself when He tells us here in Matthew 25 – “When the Son of Man shall come.”
At the close of the Tribulation, when the Son of Man shall return, it will not be in the way in which came in Matthew chapter 1. Even still – as much the son of Mary that He was before – He will cast aside His humility and take up His glory. He will come in the glory that Isaiah was privileged to see in Isaiah 6, and which Ezekiel saw. He will come in a glorious brightness which every eye on earth will be drawn to see. As the last chapter told us, the sky will grow darker than at any time during human history, so people’s eyes will already be turned upward. And then as if the brightest spotlight ever made was pointed skyward, there will the Son of Man be. There will be heavenly trumpets, angelic shouting, and a myriad of glorified saints will be following in the Lord’s wake.
This scripture says that “all the holy angels” will be with Him upon His return. Sometimes the word “all” may be used legitimately in a confined sense. If you possessed all the money in this room, you could buy a nice stack dinner. But if you had all the money in my wallet, you might not want eat what you could afford. When this scripture speaks of “ALL the holy angels,” I can’t see any limiting features. I see no reason not to believe that the Son of God, whom we know as Jesus of Nazareth or as the Son of Man, will have called the entire host of Heaven to join Him. And He, along with this huge host of angels and saints, “shall so come in like manner” as the disciples saw Him ascend into Heaven. Then, one of the King’s first acts will be to sit – very much in the way that Isaiah saw Him so many years ago. In the year that two thirds of humanity died, “I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”
And then the King of kings WILL JUDGE the remnants of humanity.
“And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Most of the primary lessons of these two chapters have been about Israel, but this is clearly different. The word “nations” – “ethnos” – is never used about Israel – it’s always other nations – Gentile nations. As I understand it, when Christ, Israel’s the Messiah, finally returns, the Tribulation, the preaching of the witnesses and the 144,000, and the centuries of scriptural studies will have accomplished their perfect work, and every Jewish heart still alive will see and believe that this Son of Man is their Messiah. I believe that there is reason to say that every Israelite adult left alive at that time will become a believer. THIS judgment doesn’t apply to them – there is no reason to apply this judgment to them. This is the judgment of the Gentile nations.
But be careful not to make the mistake of thinking that this is a general judgment of the two hundred political entities called “nations.” There will not be a separation of sheep and goat “nations.” Let’s see, Russia is a goat nation, as are Iraq, Iran and Pakistan. Then on the other side are Canada, the United States and Australia. No sir, I’m not sure that any nation, in its policy has ever been, or ever will be entirely favorable to Israel. This judgment will be of the individuals from all the nations of the earth. After billions have died in the plagues and judgments of the Tribulation, the millions remaining will stand before Christ to be judged – as individuals.
It appears to me that what Joel says in chapter 3:1-2 is essentially what Christ is talking about here. “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.” It will not be a problem for the Lord and His army of angels to gather the elect of Israel and bring them to the Promised Land. And similarly, it will not be a problem for God to round up the rest of humanity as well.
And where will everyone be assembled? Joel is the only scripture which speaks about “the valley of Jehoshaphat,” so no one knows exactly where it is. But one interesting explanation is that this will be the valley created when the Lord steps on the Mount of Olives and creates a valley spreading to the east of Jerusalem. And when Joel says that God “will plead with them” this isn’t about begging or making requests. That Hebrew word is translated “to judge” ten times as often as it is “to plead.”
And upon what grounds will these Gentiles be judged?
This is an important question – one which we need to understand. As I said, I believe that all the people entering the Millennial Kingdom will be saints. They will be righteous people, but the fact is, “there is none righteous, no not one.” Some people think that the more people suffer in this world, the more righteous they become. They picture their trials and problems as fires which somehow burn out their native wickedness. But such is not the case. There is only one way to become righteous, and that is through the righteousness and the sacrifice of the Saviour. “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will judge them there for my people and for my heritage Israel.” “When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, And “the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; When he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs” of eternal life and this Millennial Kingdom.
But doesn’t Matthew 25 suggest that the salvation of these people entering that kingdom was based on their treatment of the Jews? No it doesn’t. “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we do these things? “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
During the Tribulation, God will call, commission and empower thousands of special ambassadors. There will be twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. They will be scattered throughout the world, from Siberia to the Sudan, from the Kalahari to California. Their ministry will be to explain the causes and effects of those terrible judgments. Their message will be the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ which we preach today. The people who enter the glories of the Lord’s future kingdom will be those who have “received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.” And their faith will have been proved by their affinity to those “brethren” of Christ who were spreading the truth at the great risk of their lives. They will not have been saved by their service to God’s saints, but like Rahab in Jericho, they will have been saved by faith, which was proved by protecting the Lord’s ambassadors.
What shall be THE VERDICT of the righteous Judge?
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Those who have received the message of repentance and grace – will enter the kingdom. They will enter the Millennial Kingdom which after a thousand years will be transformed into the Lord’s eternal Kingdom. These people who were humbled by the trials of the tribulation, and by the preaching of the gospel, will be saved by God’s grace. And notice that God’s grace is dispensed through sovereign election – “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” The name of each and every one of these people will have been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life since before the beginning of time. The Lord knows those who are His even during the darkest days of tribulation.
Something else which the Bible student should easily see is Jesus’ connection with John 10. “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” “And other sheep I have, which are not of this (Israelite) fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.” “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” “But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.”
What shall be the end of those who received not the message of God’s witnesses? “Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” There could very well be people among us this evening, who will be judged at the time of which these verses speak. If that is the case, then there will be no room for your escape. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.”