How will the nations be judged? Will it be according to their support of Israel?
The nations of the world will be judged at the end of the seven-year Tribulation period. After that judgment, the Millennial (1000 years) reign of the Lord on the earth will begin. To learn about this, let’s read Matthew 24:1-3, “And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be THE SIGN OF THY COMING, and of THE END OF THE WORLD?”
At this point, the truth of the Rapture of the church had not been taught for the truth of the church had not yet been revealed. We read of the Rapture in 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, “Behold, I SHEW YOU A MYSTERY; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” So, when the Lord’s disciples asked Him about His coming, they are referring to His coming to the earth to reign, which will be the end of the world, or the end of the age.
When the Lord comes to rapture His church, He will come to the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). When the Lord comes to set up His kingdom on the earth, He will come to the earth (Acts 1:9-11). It is at this time the Lord will judge the nations. We find that event explained in Matthew 25:31-46. Verses 31-33 set the stage for us as the Lord states, “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: 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: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.” (Read also Daniel 7:9-10).
The test in this judgment is the treatment by the nations to those whom Christ here calls “my brethren.” These “brethren” are the Jewish Remnant who will have preached the Gospel of the kingdom to all nations during the Tribulation Period. To see that truth, let’s read the judgment of those who are called ‘sheep’ on the right hand of the Lord. Matthew 25:34-40 says, “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: 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: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 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.” How closely the Lord identifies with this faithful Jewish remnant. Those who have treated His people well, will be rewarded by being allowed to enter the Lord’s earthly kingdom as we saw in verse 26, “COME, YE BLESSED OF MY FATHER, INHERIT THE KINGDOM PREPARED FOR YOU FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.”
After this, the Lord addresses those who mistreated His brethren. They are the goats. We read in Matthew 25:41-45, “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: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 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. 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? 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.” The consequence of mistreating and refusing to help this Jewish remnant? Verse 46 tells us, “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
So, you are correct in thinking this judgment is based on how the different nations treated the Lord’s people during the Tribulation period. I encourage you to study Matthew 24 and 25 to get a greater understanding of the great event. (CC) (611.4)