Before him shall be gathered all nations

Before Matthew concludes his record of the great prophetic discourse given by the Lord Jesus, he reminds us that His sovereignty is not restricted to the nation of Israel. On a number of occasions in his Gospel, Matthew recalls that Gentiles acknowledged the authority of the Lord Jesus. In chapter 2, the wise men came from the East and worshipped Him. Then in chapter 8, the centurion, a man who had travelled from the West, owned His authority. In chapter 15, a woman of Canaan, one from the land, but a Gentile, a ‘stranger to the covenants of promise’, came and worshipped Him. Matthew does not record the ascension of the Lord Jesus; He is last seen with the Eleven in Galilee, ‘Galilee of the Gentiles’, Matt. 4. 15, where, from a mountain top, and in anticipation of a kingdom, the ‘King of all the earth’, Ps. 47. 7, proclaimed, ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth’.

Our reading today underlines the need to appreciate that scripture explains God’s purposes for three companies of people. The nation of Israel, the Gentile nations (often referred to as ‘the heathen’), and the church. The last of these, comprised of all believers of this present age, is not in view in Matthew chapters 24 and 25; the rapture of the church will have taken place before these events begin to unfold. The greater part of prophetic scripture in both Old and New Testaments has to do with God’s purposes for Israel. To a lesser degree there are prophecies which relate to Gentile nations, but these are usually determined by their association with, and influence upon Israel.

The judgement described in our verses relates to Gentile nations, following the Lord’s return to earth. The nation of Israel will have already passed ‘under the rod’ of judgement, Ezek. 20. 33-44; now a similar assessment is made of Gentiles to determine entrance into the millennial kingdom for some (the sheep), or rejection for others (the goats). The decisive factor will be their attitude and behaviour towards the faithful remnant of Israel during tribulation days, ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto . . . these my brethren, ye have done it unto me’, Matt. 25. 40.