Matthew 25:31 describes a future day when Jesus, called here the Son of Man, returns in visible majesty with all the holy angels and takes his seat as king and judge over all peoples. The verse answers the question of who is in charge of the end of history: it is Christ, and he will act openly and with authority. Jesus spoke these words to his disciples on the Mount of Olives, shortly before his arrest and crucifixion, as part of his final teaching before Passover.
“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
Matthew 25:31 (WEB)
What Matthew 25:31 Means
The phrase “the Son of Man comes in his glory” points to a coming that is public and unmistakable, not a quiet event hidden from view. The word “glory” refers to the visible splendor that belongs to God and now shines in the risen, exalted Christ. The mention of “all the holy angels with him” shows that this king arrives with a heavenly retinue, underlining his authority over the unseen as well as the seen.
The final clause, “he will sit on the throne of his glory,” describes a formal act of judgment. In the ancient world, a king seated on a throne was hearing cases and rendering decisions. The verse does not explain how the judgment will unfold in detail; the verses that follow in the chapter do that. What it does promise is that the throne will be occupied, and that the one on it is the rightful Judge of all.
The Context of Matthew 25:31
Matthew was written for a community of Jewish Christians and others familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures, and it presents Jesus as the promised king and teacher. This chapter is the last of five major teaching blocks in the Gospel, and it moves from parables about readiness, the wise and foolish bridesmaids and the entrusted talents, into a scene of final separation. Just before verse 31, Jesus warns about the “unprofitable servant” cast into outer darkness, which sets a sober tone for what follows.
Read in that setting, verse 31 is not a standalone image of glory but the opening frame of a courtroom scene. The faithfulness or failure described in the parables leads straight into the moment when the king takes his seat. Verse 34 then shows him speaking to those on his right, so the glory of verse 31 is the glory of a judge whose verdict flows from how people have lived in response to his kingdom.
Key Phrases in Matthew 25:31
Daniel 7:13-14
13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 Dominion was given him, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom that which will not be destroyed.
(WEB)
This passage describes one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven to receive dominion and an everlasting kingdom. It is the background image behind Jesus’s title in Matthew 25:31, and reading it shows how long the hope of a divinely appointed king has been present in Scripture.
Revelation 20:11-12
11 I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. There was found no place for them. 12 I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.
(WEB)
John’s vision of the great white throne and the dead standing before it parallels the courtroom imagery of Matthew 25. Reading the two together shows that the New Testament consistently pictures a final judgment carried out by the one whose glory is revealed in Christ.
A Short Prayer From Matthew 25:31
Lord Jesus, you are the Son of Man who will one day return in glory, with the holy angels beside you and your throne established forever. Help me to live with that day in view, not in fear of you but in trust that you are just and merciful. Show me where I have been careless with what you have given me, and give me the courage to change. Let my choices today reflect your kingdom, so that when you sit on the throne of your glory, I may be found faithful in your sight. Amen.
