The Kingdom of God, Then: Session 8 – When the Son of Man Comes in His Glory

Notes:

When the Son of Man comes in His glory    See Session Slides Here

‘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’ (Mt.25:31).

  • This is not the Great White Throne Judgment. It is the judgment of the nations (Gentiles) who are alive at the return of Christ.
  • Jesus will be the Judge, John 5:22-23. He is at the right hand of God until this judgment, Ps.110:1.
  • Jesus is describing when that time has come, Acts 17:31.
  • He is referred to as the Son of Man. He represents the redeemed as the Second Man, 1 Cor.15:47.
  • He took on man’s flesh, sin and judgment and now He is qualified to be their Judge, Matt.26:63-64.
  • He will set up His throne to: 1) judge the nations, and, 2) commence His Millennial reign, Matt.19:28.
  • The angels will be His assistants, attending Him at the Judgment, Mt.13:39-42; Matt.16:27.
  • He is also called the King. ‘Then the King will say…And the King will answer and say to them…’ (Matt.25:34&40). He will take His throne as the King of the Nations, Jer.10:7.
  • He will break the iron will of defiance of the people, Rev.19:11-16; Rev.2:25-28.
  • The nations will be judged according to what they did to His brethren. Who are His brethren?
  • 1) Christ’s brethren are those who do His will, Matt.12:46-49; Matt.28:10.
  • This will reveal where they stood in relation to Jesus and the gospel during the Tribulation. What did they do to Christ’s messengers and message? (Mk.9:41; Matt.10:11-14). These are the sheep.
  • 2) Also, His brethren are the Jews who will be hunted down, persecuted and killed during the tribulation, Rev.12:6. Those fleeing will find Gentile friends whose hearts God has opened to receive them and protect them. Only believers would take such risks at the end of the Tribulation. These believing Gentiles will provide the Jews with food, clothing and shelter. They will put themselves at risk by visiting them in prison and perform other acts of kindness for them, Rev.12:14-16.
  • The goats are those who worship the Antichrist, Revelation 13:8. They will support the Antichrist in his program of destroying Jews. They will be condemned to eternal punishment.
  • But the sheep will both enter the kingdom and inherit eternal life. Eternal salvation is always by grace through faith, totally apart from works. The sheep have justification through faith alone in Christ alone. Good deeds do not save. Nothing is clearer from the Word of God than this. But the sheep will demonstrate their faith by their love to Christ’s brethren.
  • This judgment will take place in the Valley of Jehoshaphat after the Battle of Armageddon, Joel 3:1-2.
  • Probably only half population will be remaining. God will pronounce judgment upon those nations who persecuted Israel and forced them into ‘land for peace’ deals, ‘Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations’ (Joel 3:12).
  • ‘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’ (Matt.25:34). The kingdom WAS prepared for the sheep.
  • ‘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’ (Matt.25:41). The fire was NOT prepared for the goats. It was prepared for the devil and His angels, but these have joined him in the rebellion.
  • After the judgment, the sheep will enter the Messianic Kingdom and will populate its Gentile nations.
  • These nations will have access to the New Jerusalem in the new heavens and new earth, Rev.21:24-26.