As Jesus taught in Mt. 24.34, His coming in glory was to occur in that generation. Thus, the coming in glory in Mt. 25.32 is not a new subject. Jesus had long prophesied a like coming during the lifetime of His listeners. With these comments in mind, let's look at Mt. 25.31-46:
Verses 31-32: "But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him; then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all the nations and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats."
As we have already noticed, Mt. 16.27-28 spoke of a like judgment in that generation. This judgment would "render unto every man according to his deeds." Surely, He didn't speak of men in America (in that generation), but men in that generation of Jews.
"But," someone says, "Mt. 25.32 says "nations." How can a judgment which involves nations speak of just a national judgment on Israel?" This is a notable objection until we realize that the land of Israel comprised many nations. We normally think of Israel of Jesus' time as one nation, but not so. For example, the Jewish historian Josephus referred to the nation of the Samaritans, the nation of the Galileans, and the nations of Idumea, Perea, Trachonitis, Iturea, and Abilene. Judea was spoken of as a distinct nation, with a king of its own. The Greek term ethnarch (literally, "ruler of a nation") described the rulers of these nations.
This agrees with Jesus' own usage in Mt. 24.7, where He said:
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom . . .
Jesus spoke of many nations in that region, with Jews in all, which would be affected by the Roman invasion of the land. In Lk. 21.25-32, Luke quoted Jesus:
And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows . . . This generation shall not pass away, till all things be accomplished.
Accordingly, "all the nations" could well speak of the nations of Palestine. As we've seen, these are the very nations in Matthew 24.
Verse 33: "and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left."
Again, this agrees with Mt. 16.27-28, which says He would "render to every man according to his deeds . . . some of them that stand here, who shall in no wise taste of death . . ."
Verses 34-40: "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 hungry, and ye gave me to eat; 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 saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink? And when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? And when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me."
Notice what the destiny of the righteous and wicked hangs on in this judgment. On faith in Christ? No. On whether they've been baptized? No. On benevolence toward Christians? Not at all. On whether they observed the Lord's Supper? He did not mention it. On whether they were faithful in church discipline? No. Assembling? No, nor on personal evangelism, nor any of the other things Christians concern themselves about at a final judgment.
However, it sounds exactly like a judgment on the Jews of Jesus' time, many of whom weren't merciful or benevolent. For example, in Mt. 9.13 Jesus condemned many of the Jews for their emphasis on religious ritual rather than their treatment of their fellow man:
But go ye and learn what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.
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