Sheep Nations

I looked at 18 translations, and all but one translated Matthew 25:31-46 as saying that when Jesus sits as King on the throne of His glory, the nations will be brought before Him to be judged. One translation said “the people of the nations.” Many times in the New Testament, the word “ethnos” is translated “Gentiles,” and many others it is translated “nations.”

Almost always, when I have heard people teaching on this section of Scripture, the application is that Jesus is going to judge individuals. I have done it myself. What if He was prophesying that He is going to judge nations, though? What if He is going to judge how much governments and cultures have been influenced by His Kingdom, and by His values?

If that is true, we need to be invading governments, and every other source of influence over the cultures and activities of the nations, with believers who can bring His teachings and His influence into them. We could be very encouraged by the power those positions of influence have had over the culture of the United States as people led by unclean spirits have imposed a shift of values that include sexual perversions, witchcraft, and other anti-Christ practices and beliefs.

If they can do that, we can do it better.