The King, that is, he who was before called the Son of man, who shall then sit on the throne of his glory; he shall say to his saints, to those on his right hand, those whom he designs to honour and to favour,

Come, ye blessed of my Father; you whom my Father hath blessed with all spiritual blessings in me, who were also blessed in his eternal thoughts: for there was a kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; you have not purchased it by your works; no, it was prepared for you before ever you were. You were blessed in my Fathers eternal thoughts, so he prepared a kingdom for you; and you have been blessed since with all spiritual blessings through me, so you are now prepared for it. Therefore come and now inherit it, as that which you are foreordained and born unto, as that which is freely given you, not purchased by you.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

34. Then shall the KingMagnificenttitle, here for the first and only time, save in parabolicallanguage, given to Himself by the Lord Jesus, and that on the eve ofHis deepest humiliation! It is to intimate that in then addressingthe heirs of the kingdom, He will put on all His regal majesty.

say unto them on his righthand, Comethe same sweet word with which He had so longinvited all the weary and heavy laden to come unto Him for rest. Nowit is addressed exclusively to such as have come and foundrest. It is still, “Come,” and to “rest” too; butto rest in a higher style, and in another region.

ye blessed of my Father,inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of theworldThe whole story of this their blessedness is given by theapostle, in words which seem but an expression of these: “Blessedbe the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed uswith all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; accordingas He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, thatwe should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” Theywere chosen from everlasting to the possession and enjoyment of allspiritual blessings in Christ, and so chosen in order to be holy andblameless in love. This is the holy love whose practicalmanifestations the King is about to recount in detail; and thus wesee that their whole life of love to Christ is the fruit of aneternal purpose of love to them in Christ.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand,…. Before Christ is called “the son of man”, now “the king”; who is not only king of saints, but king of the whole world; the king of kings, and lord of lords, the judge of all the earth; he appearing in glory and majesty, sitting on a throne of glory, being attended with his glorious angels, and all nations gathered before him, waiting for the final sentence to be pronounced upon them by him; and who accordingly begins with those on his right hand, his sheep, the chosen, redeemed, and called of God, saying to them,

come. The Arabic version adds, “to me”: by such a phrase he sometimes had invited, and encouraged poor sensible sinners: to come and partake of his grace: and here by it he calls the righteous, and bespeaks them in the most tender and endearing manner, and yet with the majesty of a king, and the authority of a judge, to come near unto him, with intrepidity and confidence, and take possession of a glorious kingdom; bestowing on them this high and illustrious character,

ye blessed of my Father: so called, partly because they were his Father’s, not only by creation, but by his choice of them to grace and glory, and therefore most happy and blessed; and partly, because, as such a choice shows, they were dear unto him, highly in his favour, and loved by him with an everlasting love; as also, because they were blessed by him as the Father of Christ, and theirs, with all the spiritual blessings of the everlasting covenant in him; with the pardon of their sins, the justification of their persons, the sanctification of their nature, with adoption, and a right unto, and meetness for the eternal inheritance: hence it follows,

inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. The happiness of the saints, in the other world, is here expressed by a “kingdom”, because of the glory, riches, grandeur, and magnificence of it; as it is sometimes by a crown, for the same reason, suitable to their character and dignity, who are made kings and priests by Christ: and is likewise represented as an “inheritance”, as it is elsewhere, being not acquired by industry, or obtained by merit; but is the gift of their heavenly Father, and in right of adoption, as the children of God, being made such by his free grace and favour, and denotes the stability and perpetuity of it: and this is said to be prepared, not only appointed and designed in the council purposes, and decrees of God, but got ready; it is a kingdom erected, an inheritance reserved, and a crown of righteousness laid up in heaven; a glory really provided and secured in an everlasting covenant, and that for you: for some, and not others; for the sheep on the right hand, and not the goats on the left; for the peculiar favourites of God, the objects of his love and choice, the redeemed of the Lamb, and that are born of the Spirit; and that for them,

from the foundation of the world. The place itself, where this happiness is to be enjoyed, was actually made on the first day of the creation, when the heavens were formed, and the foundations of the earth were laid, and the glory itself long before. The Ethiopic version here reads, “before the world”; and the Persic, “before the foundation of the world was laid”; and Grotius himself owns, that the phrase is the same as “before the foundation of the world”; and Dr. Hammond’s paraphrase is, “before all eternity”: for as early were these persons, the beloved, the chosen, and blessed of the Father: so that this glory must be of free grace, and not merit, or owing to any works of righteousness done by men; since it was not only designed and appointed, but prepared and laid up for persons before they had a being, and had done neither good nor evil. The Jews e speak of the law being an inheritance for all Israel, from the six days of the creation; but a much more glorious one is here spoken of: nearer to this is what they say f that Bathsheba was appointed to be David’s wife from the day that the world was created; and add, but the mystery of the thing is, , “the kingdom that is above”, which is called by her name. So in 2 Esdras, “the kingdom is already prepared for you”:

“Go, and ye shall receive: pray for few days unto you, that they may be shortened: the kingdom is already prepared for you: watch.” (2 Esdras 2:13)

e T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 91. 2. f Zohar in Exod. fol. 44. 3.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

From the foundation of the world ( ). The eternal purpose of the Father for his elect in all the nations. The Son of Man in verse 31 is the King here seated on the throne in judgment.

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament

34. Come, you blessed of my Father. We must remember Christ’s design; for he bids his disciples rest satisfied now with hope, that they may with patience and tranquillity of mind look for the enjoyment of the heavenly kingdom; and next, he bids them strive earnestly, and not become wearied in the right course. To this latter clause he refers, when he promises the inheritance of the heavens to none but those who by good works aim at the prize of the heavenly calling. But before speaking of the reward of good works, he points out, in passing, that the commencement of salvation flows from a higher source; for by calling them blessed of the Father, he reminds them, that their salvation proceeded from the undeserved favor of God. Among the Hebrews the phrase blessed of God means one who is dear to God, or beloved by God. Besides, this form of expression was not only employed by believers to extol the grace of God towards men, but those who had degenerated from true godliness still held this principle. Enter, thou blessed of God, said Laban to Abraham’s servant, (Gen 24:31.) We see that nature suggested to them this expression, by which they ascribed to God the praise of all that they possessed. There can be no doubt, therefore, that Christ, in describing the salvation of the godly, begins with the undeserved love of God, by which those who, under the guidance of the Spirit in this life, aim at righteousness, were predestined to life.

To this also relates what he says shortly afterwards, that the kingdom, to the possession of which they will be appointed at the last day, had been prepared for them from the beginning of the world. For though it may be easy to object, that the reward was laid up with a view to their future merits, any person who will candidly examine the words must acknowledge that there is an implied commendation of the grace of God. Nay more, Christ does not simply invite believers to possess the kingdom, as if they had obtained it by their merits, but expressly says that it is bestowed on them as heirs.

Yet we must observe another object which our Lord had in view. For though the life of the godly be nothing else than a sad and wretched banishment, so that the earth scarcely bears them; though they groan under hard poverty, and reproaches, and other afflictions; yet, that they may with fortitude and cheerfulness surmount these obstacles, the Lord declares that a kingdom is elsewhere prepared for them. It is no slight persuasive to patience, when men are fully convinced that they do not run in vain; and therefore, lest our minds should be east, down by the pride of the ungodly, in which they give themselves unrestrained indulgences—lest our hope should even be weakened by our own afflictions, let us always remember the inheritance which awaits us in heaven; for it depends on no uncertain event, but was prepared for us by God before we were born, — prepared, I say, for each of the elect, for the persons here addressed by Christ are the blessed of the Father.

When it is here said only that the kingdom was prepared from the beginning of the world, while it is said, in another passage, that it was prepared before the creation of heaven and of earth, (Eph 1:4) this involves no inconsistency. For Christ does not here fix the precise time when the inheritance of eternal life was appointed for the sons of God, but only reminds us of God’s fatherly care, with which he embraced us before we were born; and confirms the certainty of our hope by this consideration, that our life can sustain no injury from the commotions and agitations of the world.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(34) Ye blessed of my Father.The Greek is not identical with blessed by my Father, but means rather, ye blessed ones who belong to my Father.

Inherit the kingdom prepared for you.Yes; not for Israel only, or those among the brethren who should in this life believe in Christ, had the kingdom been prepared, but for these also. For those who came from east and west and north and south (Mat. 8:11; Luk. 13:29)for all who in every nation feared God and wrought righteousness (Act. 10:35)had that kingdom been prepared from everlasting, though it was only through the work of Christ, and by ultimate union with Him, that it could be realised and enjoyed.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

34. Kingdom prepared for you By God’s eternal purpose an immovable kingdom of glory has been prepared, and predestinated for all who should by faith in Christ and obedience to him become its heirs. The plan of redemption in Christ has been adopted with full view to this, and all who accept its terms will inherit its results. If this verse proves the eternal predestination of individuals to life, then Mat 25:41 proves that the wicked were by predestination excluded from everlasting fire, because that was prepared for devils only; and yet, contrary to predestination, they are sent there!

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

“Then will the King say to those on his right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingly rule prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ ”

Here Jesus is for the first time called King. For the shepherd King see Eze 37:24. For the Son of Man as King see Mat 13:41, where it is also directly related to the judgment. It is noteworthy that He does not address them as ‘you righteous’, but as those who have been ‘blessed by His Father’. That is what has made them acceptable (compare Mat 5:3-9; Mat 13:16). And because they have been so blessed they are to ‘inherit’. An inheritance is something that is bestowed by a benefactor on those whom he chooses because of their relationship. Inheritance therefore indicates what is given and received in total undeserving. And as a result these are to enter into the everlasting Kingdom under His Kingly Rule. They are to inherit eternal life (Mat 25:46).

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

The sentence upon the righteous:

v. 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.

v. 5. For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took Me in;

v. 36. naked, and ye clothed Me; I was sick, and ye visited Me; I was in prison, and ye came unto Me.

v. 37. Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered, and fed Thee? or thirsty, and gave Thee drink?

v. 38. When saw we Thee a stranger, and took Thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

v. 39. Or when saw we Thee sick or in prison, and came unto Thee?

v. 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, ye have done it unto Me.

In this picture, the Judge stands out most strongly: the former lowly and despised Nazarene, now the King of glory, King of kings, and Lord of lords. This King calls those at His right hand the blessed of His Father, since they by faith received the benediction of the Father, by which all good gifts were imparted to them, and by which they became the children of God. Having continued in this faith, they are now, spiritually considered, become of age. They are to enter upon the undisputed possession and enjoyment of their inheritance, of the estate which has been prepared and ready for them since the foundation of the world, since the eternal counsel of God for the salvation of mankind was made, Eph 1:4. It is a kingdom which they are about to inherit, for they have been made kings and priests unto God, His Father, Rev 1:6. And the reason for this wonderful gift? A reward for their faith, as shown in the ordinary, everyday deeds of kindness to the lowly brethren of Christ: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, showing hospitality to the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned; outward expressions of love flowing from the love of Christ, as an evidence of faith. Christ expects no heroic acts. He demands no miracles, but He will judge the world in righteousness, making these deeds of kindness and charity the basis of His judgment; for it is impossible to perform even the smallest act of kindness in His spirit without faith in Him in the heart. The humility of the believers may cause them to disclaim any personal knowledge of Him and therefore of any personal service rendered to Him; but Christ quickly instructs them on this point, telling them that such works, one without all ostentation, without any idea of personal gain, are in reality the truest service they can render to Him.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

Mat 25:34. Then shall the king say The sentence passed upon the righteous, affords a noble motive to patience and continuance in well-doing. In the beginning of the parable our Lord calls himself the Son of Man only: but he now changes the appellation, taking the title of king with great propriety, when he is speaking of himself as exercising the highest act of kingly power; in passing final sentence upon all men as his subjects, whereby their state will be unalterably fixed for ever. And this title adds unutterable beauty to the condescending words that he is represented as speaking on this great occasion. One cannot imagine a more magnificent image than this before usthe assembled world, distinguished with such unerring penetration, and distributed into two grand classes, with as much ease as sheep and goats are ranged by a shepherd in different companies;that assembled world waiting to receive their everlasting doom from the lips of Almighty andimpartial justice! The present state of good men is at best but a banishment from their native country;an exile in which they are frequently exposed to manifold temptations, to persecutions, to poverty, to reproach, and to innumerable other evils. But that they may bear all with unfainting courage and constancy, they are given to know by this sentence, that they are beloved and blessed of God, as his own children; and that there is no less than an eternal kingdom prepared for the faithful saints of God from the foundation or formation of the world, through that infinite prescience of Deity, whereby he foresees who will be faithful, and who will not. Well may such bear with the violence of their oppressors, knowing what an exceeding and eternal weight of glory awaits them.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Mat 25:34 . ] because Christ is understood to have appeared , Mat 16:28 , which fact is here self-evident from Mat 25:31 .

] the blessed of my Father (for “in Christo electi sumus,” Bengel), now actually so (see on Eph 1:3 ) by being admitted into the Messianic kingdom that has been prepared for them. On the use of the participial substantive with a genitive, see Lobeck, ad Aj . 358; Winer, p. 178 [E. T. 236].

] not merely destined , but: put in readiness ; comp. Mat 20:23 ; 1Co 2:9 ; Joh 14:2 . , , , , , , Chrysostom. This is the fulfilment of the promise of Mat 5:5 , . Comp. Mat 19:29 .

. .] Mat 13:35 , not equivalent to . ., when the election took place (Eph 1:4 ; 1Pe 1:20 ). For the order of the words, comp. Khner, ad Xen. Anab . iv. 2. 18.

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

DISCOURSE: 1398
THE DAY OF JUDGMENT

Mat 25:34; Mat 25:41; Mat 25:46. 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.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.And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

IT is scarcely needful in a Christian assembly to prove that there will be a Day of Judgment; because no one entertains a doubt respecting it: but to impress on our minds a consideration of the judicial process, and of the eternal consequences which will instantly ensue, is of the utmost importance. Taking for granted, therefore, that there is amongst us a certain and universal expectation of that day, we shall proceed to notice the description which the Judge himself has given of it, from its commencement to its termination.
Let us call your attention to,

I.

The preparatory solemnities

These are comprised under two heads:

1.

The coming of the Judge

[Our blessed Lord is ordained to be the Judge both of the quick and dead. It is of himself that he speaks, when he says, The Son of Man shall come [Note: ver. 31.]. As the Son of Man, he stood at the bar of Pilate: and, as the Son of Man, he will summon the universe to his tribunal. As the Son of Man, he himself was judged, condemned, executed: and, as the Son of Man, he will pass judgment on all, whether men or devils. At his first advent he appeared in the lowest state of degradation, a worm, and no man, a reproach of men, and despised of the people [Note: Psa 22:6.]: but in that day he will come with power and great glory, surrounded by myriads of his holy angels. The pomp and glory of his appearing will infinitely surpass either the lustre of Mount Tabor, or the more terrific splendour of Mount Sinai [Note: Mat 24:30-31. 2Th 1:7-8.]. His throne will be erected in the air; and the books, both the book of his remembrance, wherein the actions of men were recorded, and the volume of inspiration, whereby they are to be judged, will be opened before him [Note: Dan 7:9-10 and thrice mentioned Rev 20:12.].]

2.

The summoning of those who are to be judged

[Before him shall be gathered all nations. Every creature, from Adam to the last of his descendants, shall appear in one vast assembly. Not one shall be absent: not one will be able to withstand the summons of the Almighty, or to elude his search. The great and mighty of the earth shall then stand on a level with the meanest beggar [Note: Rev 6:15.]. Every one shall appear in his own proper body [Note: 1Co 15:38; 1Co 15:42.]. As for the difficulty of collecting the scattered atoms of every individual, atoms that have been transformed into ten thousand different shapes, this is no difficulty with God: he who created them out of nothing by a mere act of his will, can by a similar act of volition reunite the atoms that are necessary to constitute our personal identity: and he will do it in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: and when the dead are raised, then, and not till then, will he change the bodies of those who are alive upon the earth, that they also, together with those who are risen, may meet the Lord in the air [Note: 1Th 4:15-17.].]

The whole human race being come into the presence of their Judge, he will proceed to,

II.

The trial

There will be a strict inquiry into their respective works
[We do not suppose that their regard to him and his salvation will be overlooked [Note: Mar 16:16. Heb 2:3.]: but it will be ascertained by the fruits which they brought forth. If their faith was not productive of good works, it will be accounted only as the faith of devils. But what are the fruits which alone will be considered as just evidences of our love to Christ? O that this matter were duly weighed amongst us! It will not be asked merely, Whether we transgressed the law by grosser acts of sin, such as uncleanness, or drunkenness, or theft, or perjury, or murder; but whether we were active in doing good to our fellow-creatures for Christs sake? Whether we fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited the sick, and delighted ourselves in all offices of love to our fellow-creatures from a sense of love to Christ, and with a view to his glory [Note: ver. 35, 36.]? Yes, on this will the salvation or condemnation of men depend. Mark it well, my brethren. It is not for formal duties or empty professions that any will be applauded, but for active, diligent, unremitted exertions in the cause of Christ: nor is it for sins of commission merely that any will perish, but for sins of omission [Note: Compare Mat 7:21. with ver. 25, 27, 30 and ver. 42, 43.].]

Then will they be separated according to their true characters
[The characters of all will then be as easily discerned as sheep are discerned from goats; and they will be separated accordingly, the sheep on the right hand of their Judge, and the goats on his left hand. Then will be seen two wonderful sights; the righteous, however separated from each other by trifling forms or various sentiments on earth, all united in one body, and perfectly of one heart and mind. Nor will there be so much as one hypocrite found amongst them: the tares which now grow among the wheat will all be plucked up: the wolves in sheeps clothing will all be detected; and the whole collective mass be holy, even as God himself is holy. Then also will all the wicked be standing in one vast congregation together. Those who had mixed themselves with the saints on earth will have the mask taken away, and be made to appear in all their natural deformity: and those trembling saints who were wont to number themselves amongst them, will have had their integrity cleared, and their doubts removed: and all, whether righteous or wicked, will take their proper place, according as the evidence, adduced before their Judge, attested or disproved their piety.]
The trial closed, the Judge will proceed immediately to,

III.

The sentence

He will first address himself to those on his right hand
[Among the reasons which might be assigned for his first pronouncing sentence on the righteous, the principal seems to be, that they are to be his assessors in judgment, and to confirm the sentence which he will pronounce upon the ungodly [Note: Mat 19:28.]. But from the moment of their separation, what joy will till every breast! What mutual congratulations will resound on every side! How delightful will be their anticipation of the felicity that awaits them! What smiles too will beam forth in the countenance of their Judge, when he shall turn towards them!

In his address to them, though he mentions their good works, in order to manifest the equity of his procedure, yet he traces up all their blessedness to the sovereign grace of him, who had loved them from before the foundation of the world. It was the Father who had chosen them from all eternity [Note: Eph 1:4.], who had sent them a Saviour; who in due time had called them by his grace; and who was the true source of all the blessings they enjoyed [Note: Jam 1:17.]. Hence he calls them, Ye blessed of my Father. In bidding them to take possession of the kingdom prepared for them, he marks very strongly the same idea: for he tells them to inherit it: by which he clearly intimates, that it was neither earned nor purchased by them, but attained through their adoption into Gods family, and their consequent regeneration by the Spirit of grace.

Surely the sound of these gracious words must pour all heaven into the souls of all to whom they are addressed.]
Then he will turn unto those upon his left hand
[But how is his countenance now changed! What anger, what indignation flames in his eyes! And what terrible displeasure is conveyed in his voice! The grounds of their condemnation are explicitly declared. They had neglected to serve him, and to do the things that were pleasing in his sight; and therefore they are bidden to depart accursed. And it is worthy of observation, that they are not said to be cursed of his Father: no; though the saints owe their felicity to the election of the Father, the wicked do not owe their misery to any arbitrary act of reprobation: the righteous are blessed of the Father; the wicked are cursed of themselves; it is to their own neglect of duty that they must trace their eternal condemnation: they perish, not because there was any want of mercy in God the Father, or of merit in God the Son; but because they rejected the counsel of God, and would not accept his proffered salvation [Note: In this respect the text exactly accords with Rom 9:22-23. where the Apostle states that the vessels of mercy were prepared for it by God; but the vessels of wrath were fitted for it by themselves.]. In this world they had said to God, Depart from me; I desire not the knowledge of thy ways [Note: Job 21:14.]: and in that world their Judge will reply, Depart from me; I desire not the knowledge of your souls: I never knew you, ye workers of iniquity. The place into which they are to depart was not indeed prepared for them, as heaven was for the saints: it was prepared for the devil and his angels: but as the wicked are partakers of their guilt, they shall be also of their punishment.]

Then will come,

IV.

The execution

The righteous shall be borne up into the regions of eternal bliss
[On the pronouncing of the sentence, the heavens will be opened, and all the saints will ascend thither to take possession of their thrones. But who can conceive the happiness of those who are admitted into the presence of their God; who are placed beyond the reach of sin or sorrow, and have an eternity of blessedness before them? What praises, what adorations, and hosannahs will resound through all the courts of heaven!]
The wicked shall be cast down into the regions of eternal misery
[We attempt not to describe their misery; for it passes the power of words to express, or of imagination to conceive: but this we assert, that it will be truly and properly eternal. It shall co-exist with the felicity of heaven; for its duration is expressed by the very same word [Note: . It is in vain to say that signifies a limited period; for the duration of heaven and of hell are equal: and if we limit the one, we must limit the other also.]. If any doubt the eternity of hell-torments, I ask, What shall ever terminate them? Will the fire that is kindled there be extinguished? or the souls that are cast into it be consumed? Or shall they be purified in the fire, and be exalted at a future period to the regions of bliss? No one of these things shall be: The fire shall not be quenched: the worm of a guilty conscience shall never die [Note: Mar 9:43-48.]: and, instead of being improved by their misery, the sufferers will gnaw their tongues for anguish, and blaspheme that God who inflicts their punishment [Note: Rev 16:8-11.]. Besides, there is a gulf fixed betwixt them and the saints in glory; so that none shall ever pass from the one place to the other, or experience the smallest change in their condition [Note: Luk 16:26.]. How terrible will then be the state of the ungodly! How will they call upon the hills to fall upon them, and the rocks to cover them from the wrath of the Lamb! But, what they would not believe, they now feel to their cost; and shall feel, as long as God himself shall endure, even for ever and ever.]

Infer
1.

How desirable is it to be prepared for death and judgment!

[This is the time for preparation: the moment death arrives, our state is fixed for ever: As the tree falleth, so it lieth. What folly then is it to procrastinate, and to defer our preparation! If death would stay for us, and we could command the influences of the Spirit, and ensure repentance at the last, there were some reason for delay: but when we know not but that the next hour we may be summoned into the presence of our Judge, or that the grace we now despise shall never be offered us again, what madness is it to lose the present moment, and to trifle on the brink of such a precipice! Awake, brethren, from your stupor; and prepare to meet your God. Go to the Saviour, while yet there is hope concerning you: and let it be the one concern of your lives to flee from the wrath to come.]

2.

How important is it to form a just judgment of our own character!

[Suppose for a moment that we judge ourselves now with somewhat too great severity, what harm is done? We disquiet ourselves indeed a little more than is necessary for a few days; but we are stirred up to greater diligence and circumspection; and are stimulated to exert ourselves more earnestly for the securing of the prize. But what if we lean too much to the favourable side? It will be too late to remedy our error when once we pass into the eternal world. There is no repentance in the grave. It will be no excuse to say, Lord, I was mistaken; I did not think so much strictness was necessary; I thought that such characters as I were safe [Note: Mat 7:22-23.]. Now, therefore, judge yourselves, that ye be not judged of the Lord. Inquire now, what is the tenour of your life. Do not be contented to examine whether you have committed any gross sin; but inquire whether you are running as in a race, and striving to the utmost to glorify your God by all possible acts and offices of love? Examine particularly, whether all that you do is, not to purchase heaven, but to testify your love to Christ? If you bring yourselves to any lower standard than this, you will deceive yourselves to your eternal ruin. But, if, after a strict inquiry into these things, your conscience condemn you not, then have you a scriptural confidence towards God [Note: 1Jn 3:21.].] [Note: If this were the subject of a Charity Sermon, it would be proper here to recommend the charity, and to exhort them to beneficence; but at the same time to caution them against the idea of meriting heaven by their alms-deeds; and to remind them, that their love must spring from faith in Christ, and be exercised simply for his sake, and to his glory.]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

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:

Ver. 34. Come, ye blessed of my Father ] Paterne alloquitur. As who should say, Where have ye been, my darlings, all this while of my long absence? Come, come, now into my bosom, which is now wide open to receive you, as the most welcome guests that ever accosted me, &c. And surely if Jacob’s and Joseph’s meetings were so unspeakably comfortable: if Mary and Elisabeth did so greet and congratulate, oh what shall be the joy of that last day!

Inherit the kingdom prepared ] Here (as in the Turk’s court) every man is aut Caesar aut nullus, either Caesar or nothing, as he said, either a king or a captive; as the sultan’s children, if they reign not, they die without mercy, either by the sword or halter.

From the foundation of the world ] Their heads were destined long since to the diadem, as Tertullian hath it. King James was crowned in his cradle; Sapores, king of Persia, before he was born (for his father dying, the nobles set the crown on his mother’s belly); but the saints were crowned in God’s eternal counsel, before the world was founded.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

34. ] THE KING here for the first and only time does the Lord give Himself this name: see Rev 19:16 ; Rom 14:9 .

. . .] Whatever of good these persons had done, was all from Him from whom cometh every good gift and the fruit of his Spirit . And this Spirit is only purchased for man by the work of the Son, in whom the Father is well pleased: and to whom all judgment is committed. And thus they are the blessed of the Father , and those for whom this kingdom is prepared. It is not to the purpose to say that those . must be the elect of God in the stricter sense ( ) and that, because the Kingdom has been prepared for them from the foundation of the world. For evidently this would, in the divine omniscience, be true of every single man who shall come to salvation, whether belonging to those who shall be found worthy to share the first resurrection or not. The Scripture assures us of two resurrections : the first , of the dead in Christ , to meet Him and reign with Him, and hold ( 1Co 6:2 ) judgment over the world; the second , of all the dead , to be judged according to their works. And to what purpose would be a judgment, if all were to be condemned? And if any escape condemnation, to them might the words of this verse be used: so that this objection to the interpretation does not apply.

Election to life is the universal doctrine of Scripture; but not the reprobation of the wicked : see below, on Mat 25:41 , On , see Joh 17:24 ; 1Pe 1:20 .

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

Mat 25:34-40 . , my Father’s blessed ones, the participle being in effect a substantive. , etc.: this clause Weiss regards as a proof that the parable originally referred to disciples, as for them only could the kingdom be said to be prepared from the foundation of the world. Wendt, holding the original reference to have been to the heathen, brackets the words from . to as of doubtful authenticity.

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mat 25:34-40

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. 35For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’37Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39When did we see You sick in prison, and come to You?’40The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'”

Mat 25:34 “the King” Jesus was often spoken of as the Coming King (cf. Rev 17:14; Rev 19:16). YHWH was also spoken of as the King, which brings additional significance to this term when it was used for Jesus (cf. Deu 10:17; 1Ti 6:15). This transference of title was a common technique of NT authors to assert the full deity of Jesus of Nazareth.

“you who are blessed of My Father” This is a perfect passive participle. They have been blessed in the past and continue to be blessed. God is the active agent.

“inherit” This is an aorist active imperative. The judgment of believers (cf. 2Co 5:10) will not be based upon our sins (cf. Tit 2:14; 1Jn 1:7), but upon our use of spiritual gifts and our availability to God (cf. 1Co 3:10-15). See Special Topic: Believers’Inheritance at Mat 19:29.

“the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” This is a Perfect passive participle. The NT used this phrase several times to describe things that God did for believers even before creation (cf. Joh 17:24; Eph 1:4; Eph 1:11; 1Pe 1:19-20; Rev 13:8). The Trinity was active in redemption before Gen 1:1! God’s work never fails!

Mat 25:35-39 Our good deeds and lifestyle love reveal and confirm our initial faith commitment to Jesus Christ (cf. Eph 2:8-10; 2Ti 2:21; 2Ti 3:17; Tit 3:1; Heb 13:21). Faith without works is dead (cf. Jas 2:14-26). These good works to others are related to the good works of Jesus Himself (cf. Isa 58:6-7). Believers continue His ministry (cf. Tit 2:14).

Mat 25:40 “to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them” The term “brother” here must refer to a neighbor. It is believers caring for humans made in God’s image that is emphasized. The close relationship between Jesus and His followers can be seen in Act 9:4; Act 22:7; Act 26:14, and 1Co 8:12. To hurt one is to hurt both; to bless one is to bless both. Jesus wants believers to live in such a way that His task on earth continues (i.e., help fallen humans find fellowship with their Creator, cf. Mat 20:28; Mar 10:45; 1Jn 3:16).

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

Father. App-98.

the foundation, &c See App-146.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

34.] THE KING-here for the first and only time does the Lord give Himself this name: see Rev 19:16; Rom 14:9.

…] Whatever of good these persons had done, was all from Him from whom cometh every good gift-and the fruit of his Spirit. And this Spirit is only purchased for man by the work of the Son, in whom the Father is well pleased: and to whom all judgment is committed. And thus they are the blessed of the Father, and those for whom this kingdom is prepared. It is not to the purpose to say that those . must be the elect of God in the stricter sense ( )-and that, because the Kingdom has been prepared for them from the foundation of the world. For evidently this would, in the divine omniscience, be true of every single man who shall come to salvation, whether belonging to those who shall be found worthy to share the first resurrection or not. The Scripture assures us of two resurrections: the first, of the dead in Christ, to meet Him and reign with Him, and hold (1Co 6:2) judgment over the world; the second, of all the dead, to be judged according to their works. And to what purpose would be a judgment, if all were to be condemned? And if any escape condemnation, to them might the words of this verse be used: so that this objection to the interpretation does not apply.

Election to life is the universal doctrine of Scripture; but not the reprobation of the wicked: see below, on Mat 25:41, On , see Joh 17:24; 1Pe 1:20.

Fuente: The Greek Testament

Mat 25:34. , …, then, etc.) cf. this address with that to the kids [Eng. Vers., goats] in Mat 25:41.

Here, Come:

There, Depart from me:

ye blessed of my Father; ye cursed:

inherit the kingdom: into the fire:

prepared for you: prepared for the devil and his angels:

from the foundation of the world. eternal. (so called in ver. 46).

– , the King) an appellation full of majesty, and joyful only to the godly; see Mat 25:40.- , of My Father) We have been chosen in Christ.-, inherit) Therefore the , for, in the next verse ought not to be pressed too much.-, prepared) There is an intimate relation between this verb and the noun , foundation.-, for you) Therefore elect men have not supplied the place of the angels who sinned.- , from the foundation of the world) The preposition , from, corresponds with the Hebrew , which signifies before; cf. Eph 1:4. When good and bad are compared together, good is frequently described by eternity, so to speak, antecedent; bad, by its hereafter: thus it is in this verse; cf. Mat 25:41, and 1Co 2:7; 1Co 2:6.

Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament

kingdom

(See Scofield “Mat 3:2”).

Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes

the King: Mat 21:5, Mat 22:11-13, Mat 27:37, Psa 2:6, Psa 24:7-10, Isa 9:7, Isa 32:1, Isa 32:2, Isa 33:22, Jer 23:5, Jer 23:6, Eze 37:24, Eze 37:25, Dan 9:25, Zep 3:15, Zec 9:9, Zec 9:10, Luk 1:31-33, Luk 19:38, Joh 1:49, Joh 12:13, Joh 19:15, Joh 19:19-22, Rev 19:16

Come: Mat 25:21, Mat 25:23, Mat 25:41, Mat 5:3-12, Gen 12:2, Gen 12:3, Deu 11:23-28, Psa 115:13-15, Luk 11:28, Act 3:26, Gal 3:13, Gal 3:14, Eph 1:3, 1Th 2:12, 1Pe 1:3

inherit: Luk 12:32, Rom 8:17, 1Co 6:9, Gal 5:21, Eph 5:5, 2Ti 2:12, 2Ti 4:8, Jam 2:5, 1Pe 1:4, 1Pe 1:5, 1Pe 1:9, 1Pe 3:9, Rev 5:10, Rev 21:7

prepared: Mat 20:23, Mar 10:40, Joh 14:2, Joh 14:3, 1Co 2:9, Heb 11:16

from: Act 15:18, Eph 1:4-6, 1Pe 1:19, 1Pe 1:20, Rev 13:8

Reciprocal: Gen 41:32 – established by Exo 23:20 – prepared Jos 14:2 – lot Jos 19:51 – These are 1Sa 2:10 – he shall 2Sa 19:33 – Come thou Neh 5:19 – according to Psa 24:10 – he is Psa 41:1 – the poor Psa 45:1 – touching Psa 47:4 – choose Psa 47:6 – our King Psa 98:6 – the king Psa 112:6 – the righteous Psa 145:1 – my God Psa 149:2 – let the Pro 11:17 – merciful Pro 11:25 – liberal soul Pro 14:21 – he that hath Pro 22:9 – He that hath a bountiful eye Ecc 8:12 – surely Son 1:12 – the king Isa 43:15 – the creator Isa 44:6 – the King Isa 52:7 – Thy God Isa 64:4 – seen Eze 18:7 – hath given Eze 46:16 – If the prince Mal 3:17 – and I Mat 6:4 – reward Mat 10:32 – him Mat 10:41 – a righteous man’s Mat 13:35 – from Mat 13:43 – shall Mat 19:29 – inherit Mat 24:46 – General Mat 25:40 – the King Mat 26:11 – ye have Mat 26:29 – with Luk 11:41 – rather Luk 14:14 – for thou Luk 22:29 – General Joh 14:15 – General Joh 17:5 – before Joh 21:15 – lovest Act 20:35 – It is Rom 2:6 – General Rom 5:17 – shall reign Eph 3:9 – beginning Phi 4:17 – to Col 1:12 – inheritance Col 1:13 – the kingdom 1Ti 1:17 – the King 1Ti 6:19 – Laying 2Ti 1:18 – that he 2Ti 4:18 – and will Tit 1:2 – before Heb 1:14 – heirs Heb 9:15 – eternal Heb 9:26 – the foundation Heb 12:28 – a kingdom Jam 1:12 – the crown Jam 1:27 – To visit 1Pe 4:13 – ye may 2Pe 1:11 – an entrance Rev 17:8 – from Rev 22:5 – and they

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

THE CALL TO GLORY

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.

Mat 25:34

The parable, if parable indeed it be, sets Christ forth to us under three titles:the Son of man,the Shepherd,and the King. The selection is not arbitrarynor is it without its intention and significancy. There is sympathy,and service,and sovereignty.

I. The Kings invitation.As King of the kingdom which He is about to bestow, Christ says, Come! Those who hear it then will scarcely need anything morefor it shows that they are to be near Himnear Him, to whom nearness has always been another word for all safety, and all peace, and all joy. When that word is said, we shall immediately draw close to the throne, and, in some way, take part with our Lord in the remainder of that very judgment. And when that grand court breaks up, and Christ moves away, we shall move with Him. And, from that moment, for ever and for ever, we shall follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.

II. Why are we to come?Because we are the blessed of the Father. How true Christ is, in that word to His own mission! And every saint will well respond to the thoughtWhy am I at this right-hand? Why am I an invited one? Why all this privilege to me? Because God loved metherefore He chose me. It was not what I did, but what I received; not my work, but His blessing.

III. The kingdom prepared.The same thought runs on into the after-part of the sentenceInherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. In this life we are all minors, and therefore it is there is so much of a school character about all that happens to us in this world. It is all so, characteristically, discipline. Then the heir will be of agehis education will be done; and he will be ready to succeed to his inheritance. Before ever the foundation of this earth was laid, that inheritance has been prepared. Christ Himself was fond of that thought. It rose the first to His mind when, to comfort His disciples heart, and His own, He selected the joyous topic, I go to prepare a place for you. And if you place that passage by the side of this, I infer that from everlasting Christ was preparing heaven for His people.

The Rev. James Vaughan.

Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary

5:34

While Jesus will be the judge, he will pronounce sentence in harmony with the wishes of his Father who has created and prepared all good things. Foundation is from KATABOLE, defined in Thayer’s lexicon, “a founding,” and that means the starting of something. World means the universe in general, but has special reference to the orderly arrangement of things that were intended for the occupancy of man. God intended from the start to have a place of joy and happiness into which the creature man would be admitted after qualifying himself for it. It will be the inheritance of this place (here called a kingdom) that the royal judge will invite the righteous to have.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Mat 25:34. The King. Christ Himself. From this point there is no figure. It is the only time that our Lord thus calls Himself, though He acknowledges the title before Pilate (chap. Mat 27:11). He is the judge; comp. Luk 19:38, and many other passages.

Ye blessed of my Father. Not blessed now for the first time; whether believers or unconscious Christians, all the good in them came from the Father, through the Spirit, and for the sake of the Son. God has but one way of blessing.

Inherit the kingdom. Peculiarly appropriate to the elect, even were they gathered together before this time. Comp. Rom 8:14-17; Gal 4:6-7; Heb 1:14.

Prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Christ has gone to prepare a place for His people (Joh 14:2); but it was prepared for them from the foundation of the world (comp. Joh 17:24). The idea of choosing unto eternal life is plainly implied here, as it is expressed in Joh 6:37; Rom 8:29-30; Eph 1:11; 2Th 2:13; 1Pe 1:2. What follows shows human responsibility in the case of all. For you; the salvation of men was an eternal purpose.

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

Here follows the sentence which Christ will pronounce upon the righteous and the wicked at the great day: first the sentence of absolution upon the righteous; then the sentence of condemnation upon the wicked.

Learn thence, That at the day of judgment the godly shall be absolved before the wicked are condemned. The reasons are, because it is more delightful to God to reward than to punish, to save than to destroy; because it is suitable to Christ’s love to begin with his saints, and to be admired by them upon the throne with himself, as assessors and judges of the wicked world, Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world? 1Co 6:3.

Lastly, With respect to the wicked, that they may be the more affected with their loss, and have a vexatious and tormenting sense of that happiness which they have refused.

Observe next, The joyful sentence pronounced, Come ye blessed of my Father.

Where note, 1. The joyful compellation, Ye blessed. Which term is opposed to these two things:

1. To the world’s judgment of them, which accounts them vile and accursed. Here is an absolution from their unjust censures.

2. To the sentence of the law, which pronounces all its transgressors accursed, Gal 3:19. But, says Christ; I, that have redeemed you from the curse of the law, pronounced you blessed.

But why blessed of my Father?

1. To point out the fontal cause of all our happiness, the love of the Father; this prepared the kingdom.

2. This expression shows how the divine Persons glorify one another. As the Spirit glorifies the Son, so the Son glorifies the Father, and refers all to him.

Therefore Christ says not, Come, my redeemed ones; but, Come, ye blessed ones: not, Come, you that were redeemed by me; but Come, ye blessed of my Father: it is his good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Learn hence, That the Lord Jesus Christ at his second coming will adjudge all his people into a state of glorious and everlasting happiness, which his Father has prepared, and himself has purchased, for them. Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you.

Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament

Mat 25:34. Then shall the King say, &c. In Mat 25:31 he had only called himself the Son of man, but he now changes the appellation, taking the title of king with great propriety, when he is speaking of himself as exercising the highest act of kingly power, in passing the final sentence on all men as his subjects, whereby their state shall be unalterably fixed for ever. And this title adds unutterable beauty to the condescending words he is represented as speaking on this great occasion. Come, ye blessed of my Father Here we see that while Jesus asserts his proper dignity as Lord of all, he represents himself as acting in subordination to his Father in his kingdom, addressing the righteous as persons blessed of his Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you Purchased by my blood for you, and all others who have believed in me with the faith which wrought by love. Does it not appear probable from hence, that they are mistaken who suppose that mankind were created merely to fill up the place of the fallen angels? The present state of good men is at best but a melancholy banishment from their native country; an exile in which they are frequently exposed to manifold temptations, to persecutions, to poverty, to reproach, and to innumerable other evils. But that they may bear all with unwearied patience, courage, and constancy, they are given to know by this sentence that they are beloved, and blessed of God as his own children; that there is no less than an eternal kingdom prepared for them, even from the foundation of the world; and that they are the undoubted heirs of this eternal kingdom. Well may such bear with the violence of their oppressors, knowing what an exceeding and eternal weight of glory awaits them! Macknight.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye {f} blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

(f) Blessed and happy, upon whom my Father has most abundantly bestowed his benefits.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

The identification of the King with the Son of Man (Mat 25:31) recalls Dan 7:13-14 where the Son of Man approaches the Ancient of Days (God the Father) to receive a kingdom. The purpose of Jesus separating humanity into two groups at the beginning of the kingdom is to determine whom He will admit to the kingdom and whom He will exclude (cf. Mat 25:41; Mat 25:46). The Father blesses (Gr. eulogemenoi, cf. Mat 21:9; Mat 23:39) some by allowing them to enter the kingdom. They now enter into their inheritance, a term that presupposes relationship with the Father. The inheritance involves the blessings God will give them in the kingdom that will vary depending on their service during the Tribulation (cf. Mat 25:14-23; Mat 25:28-29).

Jesus’ description of the kingdom as what God had prepared from the foundation of the world is significant. The rule of Messiah on the earth over all humankind has been part of God’s plan since creation. This shows its central place in God’s program for humanity. Its establishment will be the fulfillment of many promises and covenants that God gave to Adam and Eve (Gen 3:15), to Abraham (Genesis 12; Genesis 15; Genesis 17; Genesis 21), to David (2Sa 7:12-16), and to the nation of Israel (Eze 34:20-31; Jer 31:31-40; Zec 10:5-12). [Note: Peters, 2:375.]

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)