
Christ’s teaching on who will enter the Millennial Kingdom is summed up in Matthew 25:31-46. The passage describes the judgment of living survivors at the time of Christ’s Second Coming and tells us exactly who begins the Millennium.
Also known as the “Sheep and Goats” judgment, Christ divides all the Tribulation survivors into two groups: The sheep represent those who have been saved during the seven year Tribulation and the Goats represent unbelievers who survived the Tribulation.
The Lord here, gives us insight that true believers, under the control of God’s Spirit, during the dangerous period of the Tribulation, will stand with Israel and unbelievers will not. In other words, the question asked to the Tribulation survivors will be something like, “how did you treat Israel?”
Asking people how they feel about Israel is insightful even today. How do you feel about Israel? Jesus is the “lion of the tribe of Judah.” The world will one day appreciate him as the Jewish King who rules the world in justice and righteousness while sitting on the throne of the Davidic Dynasty in Jerusalem.
In the end, Jesus thanks the believing survivors (Sheep) for their kindness and commendable treatment of Israel during the difficult Tribulation period and they are told to, “inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Only born-again, Tribulation survivors (Gentiles and Jews) will enter the Kingdom (Jn. 3:3). They enter the Millennium in their natural, mortal bodies and form the exclusive populace at the start of the Millennial Kingdom that live throughout the entire Millennial Age.