The Open Door Church

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2018-11-11

The Judgment of Nations

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(Matthew 25:31-32, NKJV)

“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.

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.”

 

I.  Introduction

     At the close of the Tribulation Period, just before the establishment of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom, Jesus will summon all nations before His throne for judgment.  This judgment of nations has long been predicted by the prophets.  For example, Joel described this judgment of nations when he wrote, “Behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land” (Joel 3:1-2, NKJV).  This judgment of nations will be conducted by the Lord Jesus in “the Valley of Jehoshaphat,” which is about 60 miles north of Jerusalem.

     Zephaniah also predicted this judgment of nations.  He wrote, “‘Therefore wait for Me,’ says the LORD, ‘Until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations to My assembly of kingdoms, to pour on them My indignation, all My fierce anger” (Zephaniah 3:8, NKJV).  God has already made the “determination” to judge the nations!   

     The nations of the world will be judged on the basis of how they treated the nation of Israel!  God said through the pen of the prophet Joel “I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land” (Joel 3:2b, NKJV).  God said to Abraham, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.  I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1b-3, NKJV).  The judgment of nations, at which God will either “bless” or “curse” the nations on the basis of their treatment of Israel, will be God’s final fulfillment of the covenant He made with Abraham!

 

II.  The Sheep & the Goats

     When Jesus returns to earth to establish His Millennial Kingdom, he will seat Himself on His throne and gather all nations before Himself to determine which nations receive the privilege of entering His Kingdom and which will immediately enter eternal damnation.  Jesus said, “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. 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. 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…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” (Matthew 25:31-34…41, NKJV).

     The factor that determines whether these nations are “sheep” nations and are “blessed” or “goat” nations and are “cursed” is their treatment of the nation of Israel—national “brethren” of our Lord.  He said to the “sheep” nations, “‘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.’” (Matthew 25:35-40, NKJV).  Then He said to the “goat’ nations, “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.’” (Matthew 25:42-45, NKJV).

     When Jesus returns with His saints to establish His Millennial Kingdom, the citizens of “sheep” nations who survive the Tribulation Period will be given the privilege of being part of that kingdom.  Jesus said to the “sheep” nations, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34b, NKJV).

     Unfortunately, when Jesus returns with His saints to establish His Millennial Kingdom, the citizens of the “goat” nations who survive the Tribulation Period will be immediately sent into eternal punishment.  Jesus said to the “goat” nations, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41b, NKJV).           

     At the judgment of nations, all opposition to King Jesus from the nations will be eliminated. Their anti-Jewish leaders, along with their military forces, will have been destroyed at the “Battle of Armageddon, and a new political order is about to be launched—a global government under the control of Jesus and His people!  The redeemed in heaven describe it when they sing to the Lord, “You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9b-10, NIV).  The “redeemed” in the glorified bodies, which they have already received at the resurrection of the righteous, will be ruling over the “unredeemed” who have survived the Tribulation Period and are still in earthly bodies.  Talk about “a new world order!”  That will certainly be one.

 

III.  Conclusion

     In order to serve with Christ in this 1,000 year global government and ultimately serve with Him in His eternal government, you must be among the “redeemed”—those who have been “bought back” out of the slave-market of sin by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ!  The only way to be counted among the “redeemed” is to believe that the blood Jesus shed on the cross is sufficient to cleanse us from all sin, and therefore make us right with God.  John wrote, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (I John 1:7b, NKJV).  That’s why the author of Hebrews wrote, “With His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12b, NKJV).

 

Next Steps

• Believe in Jesus to receive the gift of eternal life.  Jesus said, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NIV).
• Ask God to show you how important the nation of Israel is to Him.  He said to Abraham and his descendants [the nation of Israel], “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3, NKJV). 

 

 

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