34 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: 35 for 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; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
Verses 34 to 40 set forth the inheritance of believers in the Tribulation.
25:34
Then the King will say to those on His right hand [the place of acceptance—believers]), ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Jesus will usher believers into the Millennial kingdom.
25:35
for 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;
True believers show the fruit that comes from the root of becoming believers.
25:36
I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
True believers manifest characteristics of care for Jesus’ needs in six areas:
Meet hunger
Meet thirst
Show hospitality
Clothe needy
Heal the sick
Provide for those persecuted
Believers who care for other believers in the Tribulation will receive an inheritance for their love.
PRINCIPLE:
Works manifest the reality of the state of our hearts.
APPLICATION:
Believers manifest the reality of their belief by what they do. Believers do not earn their way into the kingdom but receive the kingdom as a result of knowing the King, King Jesus.
When I look at this text, it seems to me that believers will enter into the Kingdom of God meaning the eternal state—not the millennium.
Matthew 25:31-34
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. 34 “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.
Jack, according to verse 31, the context of this section is the Second Coming of Christ with His angels to earth, which is the time when He sets up the Millennial Kingdom.
How do you know that it’s not the beginning of the eternal state? It certainly looks like the beginning of eternal state to me.
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.
Like we see in these verses.
Matt. 7:21-22
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will “enter the kingdom” of heaven, “but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
It looks like believers will inherit or ENTER the KINGDOM on judgment day, which is: the last day.
Jack, the entire argument of Mt 5-7 is different from Mt 24-25. Mt 5-7 sets forth the standards of the kingdom. The entire argument of Christ’s Olivet Discourse in Mt 24-25 is about the Second Coming and His setting up of His Millenntial kingdom on earth, which will ultimately be ushered into the eternal kingdom. Context is king. It is the primary means of hermeneutics (biblical interpretation).
“Mt 5-7 sets forth the standards of the kingdom.
The entire argument of Christ’s Olivet Discourse in Mt 24-25 is about the Second Coming and His setting up of His Millennial kingdom on earth, which will ultimately be ushered into the eternal kingdom.
Context is king. It is the primary means of hermeneutics (biblical interpretation).”
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
I read both chapters, and I didn’t see anything that could be interpreted to mean the millenial rule of Christ. Everything in these 2 chapters seem to be describing Judgment day, which will be the last day. For example, these verses.
Matt 24:36 But concerning that DAY and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
Matt 24:42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what DAY your Lord is coming.
Matt 24:50-51 the master of that servant will come on a DAY when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
And then, there is this Matt. 25. The master returns, and then believers will enter into the JOY of their master (Jesus.) But the unsaved (worthless servants) will be cast into the outer darkness.
Matt. 25:23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Matt. 25:30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
So if context is king, then what I see in these two chapters is Judgment Day all throughout. (E.g Wise virgins and foolish virgins.) And that day will be the day that Christ returns. And then the eternal state begins. Where is the millennium rule?
I looked for it, but I couldn’t see even a tiny hint of it.
Jack,
My guess is that you think the term “kingdom” only means heaven, making you interpret these chapters in a gross generality, but I am not sure.
The Greek term parousia (Matt. 24:3, 27, 37, 39; 2 Thess. 2:8; James 5:7–8) means “presence.” This word term describes the visitation of important people and points to a unique “coming.” The New Testament writers use this term to designate the second coming of Christ (it can refer to the Rapture of the church in 1 Thess. 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23, which will happen seven years before Jesus’ Second Coming). Another Greek word, apokalypsis (1 Cor. 1:7; 2 Thess. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:7, 13; 4:13), means “to uncover or unveil” and describes the revelation of Christ’s second coming. This glorious return will reveal Christ as King.
Yes, there is judgment, but it is judgment on earth in time. Jesus will return to earth with divine power and glory to judge the living inhabitants of the earth (Matt. 24:30; 25:31–46; Luke 9:26; see Dan. 7:13; Titus 2:13; 2 Pet. 3:12; Jude 14; Rev. 1:7).
Actually, what makes me think the term “kingdom” means heaven is this verse.
Matt. 25:1
At that time the “kingdom of heaven” will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
That, and there is the fact that in “several examples” in chapters 24 and 25, we see that believers and unbelievers will be facing their time of final judgment. – – – And I don’t see anything about a millenium in these chapters.
Jack, evidently you missed my whole point about the word “coming” or “presence.” The entire argument of the book of Matthew is the coming King and offering of His Messianic Kingdom to the Jews, which was to fulfill the five unconditional covenants of the Old Testament. Jesus came to fulfill covenants such as the Abrahamic and David covenants, which have never been fulfilled to this point in time. The word “kingdom” has a number of usages in the New Testament depending on the context. A kingdom is a place where the King rules.
One of your premises is that the Olivet Discourse refers to the last day before the eternal state. There is no evidence for that premise in Mt 24-25.
Please offer exegetical evidence for “what it looks like to you” or your opinion.
Matt. 24:31
The Son of Man will come with power and great glory.
Matt. 22:41
We must be ready for his coming.
Matt. 22:51
The wicked servant will be cut to pieces and assigned a place with the hypocrites
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (This is most definitely hell.)
Matt. 25:1
At that time the “kingdom of heaven” will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Matt. 25:10
The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. This is obviously heaven. Why would there be a BANQUET for an interim millennium period?
Then, the “door was shut.” This signifies that no one else can get in.
Matt. 25:11
The five foolish virgins plead to get in, but the bridegroom Jesus refuses their request. We can easily assume that they are excluded from heaven and will go to hell.
Matt. 25:21
The faithful servant enters into the joy of his master. This is obviously heaven.
Matt 25:30
The wicked servant is cast into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is most definitely hell.
Matt. 25:31
The Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels and will sit on his glorious throne. ( We can assume that this is the judgment throne —- based on what comes next!)
Matt. 25:34
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. (This is obviously the kingdom of heaven.)
Matt. 25:46
These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
And finally, we again see the onset of the eternal state. This last verse is the most explicitly clear. So where do you see a millenium? As I said before, I do not see it anywhere.
Jack, you evidently did not understand my argument of “coming” means to establish a kingdom. None of the verses you cite refer to heaven; it is only your opinion that it is; there is no exegesis there. Some of the verses you cite are evidence of Christ establishing his kingdom on earth.
You wrote: “Jack, you evidently did not understand my argument of “coming” means to establish a kingdom. None of the verses you cite refer to heaven; it is only your opinion that it is; there is no exegesis there. Some of the verses you cite are evidence of Christ establishing his kingdom on earth.”
Then, what avout this verse?
Matt. 25:1
At that time the “Kingdom of Heaven” will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Jack, you keep showing verses with apparent indication of heaven without any evidence that kingdom refers to heaven. Where is your exposition? As of now, it does not exist. The onus of proof rests on the person who makes the assertion. I assert that Mt 24-25 deal with the Second Coming of Christ to set up His kingdom by the usage of the word “coming” in the Greek.
Jack, note my point from others:
The Lord’s statement to the apostle Peter, that upon the rock foundation of the truth of his confession, as embodied in His own person, He would build His Church and the gates of Hades should not prevail against it, was followed by the promise, “I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19). It is important to observe the distinction made by the Lord between the Church and the Kingdom of Heaven. To identify the two gives rise to much confusion.
“The Kingdom of Heaven” describes heaven as the place from which authority proceeds, while the earth is the sphere in which it is exercised. Heaven is God’s Throne, the Seat of Divine Government (Ps. 11:4; 103:19; Matt. 5:34; Acts 7:49). When the One who exercises the authority is the predominant thought, the phrase used is “the Kingdom of God,” a phrase which also extends beyond all the various ages of time with their dispensational features.
“The Heavens” have always ruled (Dan. 4:32). Inasmuch, too, as the Kingdom of Heaven assumed a special phase with the testimony of Christ in the days of His flesh, obviously the Kingdom of Heaven preceded the formation of the Church. While yet the inception of the Church was future Christ denounced the Pharisees for shutting up the Kingdom of Heaven against men: “Ye enter not in yourselves,” He said, “neither suffer ye them that are entering in to enter” (Matt 23:13). That alone would be sufficient to show that there is a distinction. They were not hindering men from entering the Church, as it did not then exist.
Vine, W. E. (1996). Collected writings of W.E. Vine. Thomas Nelson.
KINGDOM OF GOD, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. The “kingdom of God” is evidently a more comprehensive term than the “kingdom of heaven” and embraces all created intelligences, both in heaven and on earth, who are willingly subject to God and thus in fellowship with Him. The “kingdom of heaven”—more precisely the “kingdom of the heavens”—is a term descriptive of any type of rulership God may assert on the earth at a given period. As a predicted kingdom it has reference to the establishment of the kingdom of Israel on the earth (Acts 1:6) and is the subject of extended glowing prophecies in the OT (cf. Pss. 2:6; 72:1; Isa. 11:1; 32:1; 65:17; Jer. 33:15; Dan. 7:13–14; Mic. 4:1; Zech. 9:10; 12:1; 14:9). As a covenanted kingdom the kingdom of heaven becomes the national hope of Israel (2 Sam. 7:4–17). John the Baptist, Christ, and the apostles announced that the kingdom of national Israel was “at hand.” That offer was rejected. As a result the “kingdom of heaven” in its earthly manifested form was postponed until Christ’s second advent. Widespread attempts to “bring in the kingdom” on the basis of Christ’s first advent are misplaced. According to the clear teaching of the Bible it will be realized only in connection with the second advent. The testimony of Scripture agrees completely with this fact. According to Matt. 13 the present gospel age represents the mystery form of the kingdom. “Since the kingdom of heaven is no other than the rule of God on the earth, He must now be ruling to the extent of full realization of those things which are termed ‘the mysteries’ in the NT and which really constitute the new message of the NT” (Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, 7:224). The “kingdom of the heavens,” that is, the manifested rule of God on the earth in the mediatorial Davidic kingdom, will not be realized until the future millennial period. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven, as Chafer points out, are not identical despite the fact that “Matthew employs the terminology of the kingdom of heaven” and Mark and Luke, when presenting practically the same teaching, employ the phrase “kingdom of God.” According to Scripture the “sons of the kingdom shall be cast out” (Matt. 8:12; 24:50–51; 25:28–30). This fate cannot be applied to the kingdom of God and its members (John 3:18). The parable of the wheat and the tares (Matt. 13:24–30, 36–43) and the parable of the good and bad fish (13:47–50) are only spoken of in connection with the kingdom of heaven. The parable of the leaven, however (13:33; Luke 13:20–21), is applied to both kingdoms. “Leaven represents evil doctrine rather than evil persons, and evil doctrine may and does corrupt both kingdoms” (op. cit., pp. 224–25).
Unger, M. F. (1988). Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven. In R. K. Harrison (Ed.), The new Unger’s Bible dictionary (Rev. and updated ed.). Moody Press.
Here is what ChatGPT had to say about your theological explanation.
Based on the text you provided, it appears that the argument presented by the author doesn’t explicitly provide strong evidence or reasoning for a literal millennium. Instead, the focus is more on distinguishing between different concepts, such as the Church, the Kingdom of Heaven, and the Kingdom of God, without delving deeply into the specifics of a millennial perspective. In the absence of explicit support for a literal millennium, someone seeking a clear biblical foundation for this view may find the argument lacking in terms of providing direct evidence or reasoning for that particular eschatological stance. Each theological perspective has its nuances, and the strength of an argument frequently depends on how well it engages with relevant biblical passages and doctrinal considerations.
Jack, you have just illustrated the danger of AI interpretation of Scripture. Theology, exposition, and exegesis are highly technical and specific. The more exegetical the concept, the less complete its results.
Of course, the gospels do not use the term “millennium;” it is only used in one passage in the Bible by the term “one thousand years.” I sent you those summaries of the meaning of the kingdom so that you would understand the different uses of the terms for a kingdom, some of which refer to what people call the Millennium, the kingdom on earth. The main arguments for a kingdom on earth come from the Old Testament, the gospels, and didactic passages throughout the epistles. The main argument for such a kingdom does not come from the usage of the term “one thousand” in Revelation. The doctrine rests on the five unconditional covenants of the Old Testament, such as the Abrahamic and David covenants, which are repeated throughout the poetic and prophetic books of the Old Testament. The Abrahamic Covenant promises Abraham (the first Jew) a people (as stars of heaven and sands of the sea) who would inherit the promise to him (Gen 12-15). The land promise for Abraham’s progeny was from the Euphrates River to the Red Waddie, near Egypt. Even under Solomon, Israel never occupied that much land from the Abrahamic Covenant or promise. Either God was mistaken or misled Abraham about how much land would be given to him, or it was a yet-to-be-fulfilled promise. Those covenants and other unconditional promises to Israel are repeated throughout the historical, poetic, and prophetic books of the Old Testament.
An “unconditional” covenant is a covenant that God unilaterally makes; it does not depend on the obedience of the subject to whom it is given; the onus lies completely upon God in the case of an unconditional covenant. There are conditional covenants whereby the onus lies on the one to whom the covenant was given, but those are not the subject at hand. What I am saying is that no premillennialist claims that the varying terms for kingdom rest on the word “millennium” or one thousand years. The entire argument is founded on the usage of the many terms for kingdom throughout the Bible; the overwhelming usage is for a kingdom on earth. There are also many uses of the nomenclature for heaven, but the context determines the usage of the varying words for the kingdom. Amillennialists claim that the land and people in the Abrahamic covenant were not literal, but metaphors for heaven. The issue then becomes whether one interprets the Bible spiritually rather than by what the extant Scriptural statement says or whether one interpolates one’s thoughts into a passage. Eschatology, or the doctrine of future things, is the most extensive doctrine of the Bible; that is, it requires the study of more passages and concepts than any other doctrine volume-wise.
The study of the various terms for “kingdom” is an extensive study in itself. For example, when one studies the genealogies of the gospels, we find them harking back to the Old Testament covenants, the book of Matthew begins with the promise of the coming of Jesus the Messiah in fulfillment of those unconditional covenants with the words “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham,” harking back to The David and Abrahamic covenants. The entire argument of the book of Matthew begins with these words and is relayed via other terms, which terms must be studied in context. The etymology of a term is deemed the worst way to interpret by almost all books on hermeneutics (books on how to interpret Scripture); as they say, “context is king.”
Your case appears to me to rest simply on the term “heaven,” but that term has many different usages in biblical nomenclature. The AI argument is correct in that everyone has to study the varying usages of the words involved, but I have not done that with you because it would require more time than I have in a pity post to relay that information; however, in this post, I have attempted to give you but a very small sample of what I am saying.
I appreciate your diligence in determining what Scripture has to say. That part of your comments is a blessing to me.
This AI program did not interpret Scripture. It gave an analysis of your explanation. That is quite different.
By the way, AI programs do not interpret Scripture. They show you examples of what actual people have commented on about a Scripture, and they tell you that you should carefully look at all viewpoints. But I have a better question at your commentary for 1 Cor. 15:23-26.
Jack, thank you for that information. Appreciate the clarification. Yet, my point is that AI could not offer the specifics for the usage of the various terms for kingdom and heaven, etc.That is the delimitation of the system.