Day 14 of the 24 Day Prophecy Study
Notes compiled by Steve McAtee and Marty Zide
This Judgment is only for the Gentile people who survive the seven-year tribulation period. Because they are not saved when the rapture takes place, they will be left behind to enter the tribulation period. At the end of that period, they will be judged to see if they will be able to enter the millennium.
Matt 25:31-46 - But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 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, Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? The King will answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me. Then He will also say to those on His left, Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me. Then they themselves also will answer, Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You? Then He will answer them, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
A. Who Will Be Judged?
This Judgment is only for Gentiles who survived the seven-year tribulation period. They entered into the tribulation because they were not saved prior to the rapture.
There are only two types of people on the entire planet, Jewish people and Gentiles. Chronologically according to Matt. 24 - 25, the Jewish people have already been judged, so the only people who are left to judge are those from a Gentile background.
B. When Will They Be Judged?
This judgment takes place following the second coming of Jesus to the earth. This judgment will take place at the same time as the Lord restores the nation of Israel to their land. We also see that it must take place before the establishment of the millennium.
Joel 3:1-2 - For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land.
C. Where Will They Be Judged?
Based upon the verses we just read in Joel, the judgment will take place in a valley called the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
There are different suggestions as to the location of this valley. Some feel that it is synonymous with the valley of Berachah as found in 2 Chron. 20:26. Others feel that it could be the Kidron valley. Others feel that the valley is presently not in existence, but will be created when the Lord returns.
Zech 14:4 - In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.
A valley that is not in existence today will come into being when the Lord returns to the earth. This could be the valley where the Gentiles who survive the tribulation period are gathered to be individually judged.
D. Why Will They Be Judged?
The basis on which judgment is meted out at this time, is the treatment by the Gentiles, during the tribulation period, of a group called “these brothers of Mine.”
Matt. 25:40, 45 - The King will answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me. Then He will answer them, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.
It needs to be observed that Israel is the very center of the whole judgment.
Joel 3:2 - Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land.
Who are these who are called “brothers of Mine?” Isaiah narrows them down to the believing remnant of Jewish people who are ministering to the Gentile nations about the glory of God during the tribulation period.
Is 66:19 - I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations: ...to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations.
According to the Book of Revelation, God is going to seal 144,000 Jewish people during the tribulation period to be His witnesses. They will proclaim the gospel all around the world. The results of their ministry are found in Rev. 7: 9-17. How individual Gentiles treated these Jewish believers is the basis for this judgment.
This does not mean that Gentiles during the tribulation period will be saved by their works, rather their works of kindness to these Jewish missionaries during this time demonstrates that they have true saving faith. We must remember, faith without works is not true genuine faith.
The very message preached by the 144,000 Jewish people in which multitudes of Gentiles will receive prevents the conclusion that these Gentiles will be saved by their works. What will take place is this, multitudes of Gentiles will believe the gospel during this time and their faith is demonstrated by good works.
Matt 24:14 - This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
This is the message that the Sheep will believe and this is what qualifies them to be left on the earth to enter the millennium. They will treat the Jewish people well during the tribulation period because they are saved.
E. The Results of the Judgment
The results of the Judgment of the Gentiles is twofold. The sheep on the right hand are blessed and allowed to enter the kingdom, the goats on His left hand are accursed and told to depart from Him into eternal fire.
Matt. 25:34, 41 - Then the King will say to those on His right, Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Then He will also say to those on His left, Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.
It was prophesied in the OT that Gentiles would be brought into the kingdom and brought under the reign of King Jesus during the millennium.
Dan 7:14 - And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.
Mic 4:2 - Many nations will come and say, come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD and to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us about His ways and that we may walk in His paths. For from Zion will go forth the law, even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
When the Lord establishes His kingdom, it will bring to an end all of the other human kingdoms that will be on the earth. Once established, the Bible reveals that it will endure forever and that:
Dan. 2:44 - In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these nothing, or no one, will be able to destroy it. kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.