. . .
"Then shall the King say unto themnations on his right hand, Come, ye* blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdomon earth prepared for you* from the foundation of the world: . . ." (Mat 25:34 AV).
. . .
"Then shall he say also unto themnations on the left hand, Depart from me, ye* cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: . . ." (Mat 25:41 AV).
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Notes:
Strong's Number G1484
ἔθνος
ethnos
eth'-nos
Strong's Definition:
Probably from G1486; a race (as of the same habit), that is, a tribe;
specifically a foreign (non-Jewish) one (usually by implication pagan): -
Gentile, heathen, nation, people.
Thayer's Definition:
1) a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together
. . 1a) a company, troop, swarm
2) a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus
. . 2a) the human family
3) a tribe, nation, people group
4) in the OT, foreign nations not worshipping the true God, pagans, Gentiles
5) Paul uses the term for Gentile Christians
Part of Speech: noun neuter
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nation = a geopolitical and/or cultural entity consisting of many individuals incorporated and governed under its hegemony
* = second person plural
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These verses are from a parable of Jesus, a passage couched in figurative-literal language. The use by Jesus of "ethnos" is as a metonomy, specifically a synecdoche, in which the people of a cultural entity are represented by the word describing the whole (also used the same way in Mt. 28:19). The AV correctly and definitively represents the conjugation of verbs by using "thee, thou, thine" in translation of the second person singular, and "ye, you, yours" for the second person plural.
Furthermore, pronouns referring to nouns will in Greek be of the same number and gender. In verse 34, "them," (τοις) is dative case, plural, and may be masculine or neuter (in this case neuter). So it is more than one nation "on His right hand," that is, favored by Him. "Them" does not refer to individual persons, it refers to a plurality of geopolitical entities, probably not to cultural entities for reason that there will be no competitive "religion" after this judgment of nations. Likewise, in verse 34, "them" (τοις) also dative, plural, and neuter, refers to disapproved "national" entities, not persons.
What we are presented here is a judgment occurring just after the conclusion of the Great Tribulation, the consignment of two of the unholy trinity to the Lake of Fire (Rev. 19:20), the banishment of Satan to the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:1-3), but before the setting up of Christ's thousand-year earthly Kingdom (Rev. 20:4-5).
Some more conclusions may be drawn from this, but all that is being suggested here is that the judgment here is not of individuals per se, it perhaps is the identification of geopolitical entities just prior to, present during, or remaining at the conclusion of the seven-year Tribulation, whose geographical divisions and mechanics of government are already set up so that they will be acceptable and not confusing to the remaining unsaved humans at the inauguration of Christ's Kingdom of Righteousness and Peace.
That would provide a context of familiarity from which to proceed in revising the customs, habits, and languages of the people now subjugated to the earthly rule of Christ's Viceroy, His regal ancestor David bar Jesse.
In this diagram, the point noted by "1C" is the time of the Judgment of Nations:
A fuller description of this chart can be found at: