Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:31-46 describe the plan for salvation unto eternal life for Israel and the believers of the “gospel of the kingdom” that is to come on earth.

Concluding His renowned Olivet Discourse (end-times prophecy), the Lord Jesus Christ spoke these words His coming as “the Shepherd” of Israel (John 10:11).

“[31] When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: [32] And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: [33] And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

“[34] 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: [35] For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: [36] Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. [37] Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? [38] When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? [39] Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? [40] And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren (of Israel), ye have done it unto me.

“[41] Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: [42] For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: [43] I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. [44] Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? [45] Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. [46] And these shall go away into everlasting *punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

(*Note: The “everlasting *punishment” (above, v46) is called “the 2^nd death” in Rev. 20:14, 20:6, and 2:11, where “death” is the Greek ‘thanatos,’ meaning, “death-stroke.” This is the what Paul calls “everlasting destruction” (Gk. olethros, ‘destroy, ruin’)” in 2Thes. 1:9.)

Roman Catholics, and the people of various other ‘good works denominations’ refer to the above passage as proof that God rewards us on the basis of our good deeds. They point, especially to verses 34 and 46:

“[34] 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… [46] And these shall go away into … life eternal.”

They say that ‘if we help the poor and visit the sick, God will reward us with eternal life and let us enter His kingdom.’ While the passage does stresses good works resulting in eternal life, there is something very important that we need to not overlook (as they do). Just because a verse is in the Bible, that does not mean that verse is to us or about us. We need to ask an important. Who is Jesus’ audience of these verses?

We of “the body of Christ” today do not look to the words of Jesus of Nazareth’s earthly ministry to Israel in order to see how salvation unto eternal life works for us today. “… henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh (in His human ministry to Israel), yet now henceforth know we him no more. (2 Cor. 5:16 KJV)

After all, the Apostle Paul is God’s spokesman to us Gentiles: “I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am THE apostle of the Gentiles…” (Rom. 11:13). Paul is our one Christ-appointed apostle during today’s age of “the dispensation of the grace of God.” Just read Paul’s Acts 9 commission from the ascended Lord Jesus.

Contrariwise, Jesus Christ said that His ministry was not to us Gentiles. He especially commanded His 12 Apostles (Peter included) not to preach to us Gentiles. Therefore, when we seize upon Matthew chapter 25 as applicable to us, we mishandle God’s Word.

• “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:5-7).
• “But he [Jesus] answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24).
• Paul wrote here in Romans 15:8: “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision [Jews] for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:….”

Note that Gentiles are not the object of the ministry of Jesus or His Twelve Apostle in the verses above!

Returning to Matthew 25:40: “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye (Gentiles) have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” In light of the fact that Jesus Christ was sent as “a minister of the circumcision (Israel)” (Rom. 15:8), that means that His “brethren” in this passage are none other than the believing Jews. Matt. 25:32 says that “all nations” (Gentiles) will one day come before Jesus Christ when “He sits on the throne of His glory” in the Kingdom (yet future from us), and they will give account to Him for whether or not they blessed Israel with material goods. This is in perfect accordance with the Abrahamic Covenant. God stipulated in Genesis 12:1-3 seen here below.

“[1] Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: [2] And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: [3] And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

Matthew 25:31-46 can be recapitulated as follows. The Gentiles who blessed Israel during the seven-year Tribulation (prior to the 2^nd Coming of Christ), these nations (Gentiles) will enter the subsequent Millennial Kingdom of Rev. 20:1-6. They will be “blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world… life eternal” (Matt. 25:34, 46). Those Gentiles nations who cursed Israel, will be cast into the all-consuming “lake of fire” - “ye cursed, everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels… everlasting punishment” (Matt. 25:41, 46). This is a national judgment, the ‘Judgment of the Nations,’ including Apostate National Israel, rather than individuals, although individuals are obviously involved.

Matt, 25:31-46 in no way applies to the members of “the body of Christ” for the following reasons. First, Paul says that Israel is currently fallen. Salvation is coming to the Gentiles without national Israel.

“¹¹I say then, Have they (Israel) stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. [12] Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? [13] For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: [14] If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh (racially), and might save some of them.” (Romans 11:11-14)

Did you notice that Paul’s ministry in verse 13? Rather than God’s Word coming to us through Israel, His message for Gentiles us today comes to us through Paul!

If Israel is set aside as they are today, then there is no Israel during today’s “dispensation of the Grace of God,” it is impossible for us to bless or curse Israel today. Romans 11 goes on to say that Israel is temporarily blinded; having no spiritual standing before God today. God considers Israel as just another Gentile nation:

“²⁵For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28As concerning the gospel, they (Israel) are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father’s sakes.” (Rom. 11:25-28)

Then also, we do not have a “works performance requirement” message from God delivered to us through Paul, our Apostle. We are saved “by grace through faith” (Eph. 2:8-9). Those of the aforementioned “good works” crowd go around citing James 2, saying we need faith and works in order to be justified. They will then use Matt. 25 saying: “We show our faith by our works. As Jesus said, we help the poor, orphans, widows, infirm, elderly, and so on.” This is certainly not faith. Faith is defined as believing what God said to you. God never told us (or them) that we have to fulfill Matt. 25 to obtain eternal life. The message God has to tell us Gentiles is that our salvation is “Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:9)