⁸ Who are those powerful visitors who have been making an inspection of mankind? God’s Word tells us that they are God’s representatives in the spirit realm, faithful angels, whom he has dispatched to earth to inspect it. Of these spirit creatures, Psalm 103:20 says: “Bless Jehovah, O you angels of his, mighty in power, carrying out his word, by listening to the voice of his word.” These powerful angels are often mentioned in the Bible. For example, at Matthew chapter 25 the prophecy about our time says in Mt 25 verses 31 and 32: “When the Son of man arrives in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”

9. What part does Christ Jesus play during this inspection of mankind?

⁹ This “Son of man” is God’s chief representative, Jesus Christ. After his resurrection to heaven, he waited for Jehovah to give him this special assignment. As Psalm 110:1 described it, Jehovah said to him: “Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.” The fulfillment of Bible prophecy shows that the time for God to send this powerful spirit creature into action came in the year 1914.

10. How many angels could be with Christ as they assist in the separating work?

¹⁰ But he would not come alone, for Matthew 25:31 said that “all the angels” would be with him. How many might that be? Revelation 5:11 says: “I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels around the throne [of God] . . . and the number of them was myriads of myriads.” A myriad is 10,000. One myriad times one myriad is 10,000 times 10,000, a total of 100 million angels! Yet, Revelation speaks in the plural, of “myriads of myriads” of angels serving God. That is hundreds of millions, perhaps billions or more. Under Christ’s direction, these spirit creatures are assisting God’s representatives on earth in separating mankind into two groups, one for “everlasting cutting-off,” the other for “everlasting life.”​—Matthew 25:46; see also Matthew 13:41, 42.

15. What is the basis for judging people today?

¹⁵ How people react to the news of Kingdom rule is the basis for determining whether they will be separated for “everlasting cutting-off” or for “everlasting life” in the new world. Many react as did those described at 2 Chronicles 36:15, 16: “Jehovah . . . kept sending against them by means of his messengers, sending again and again, because he felt compassion . . . But they were continually making jest at the messengers of the true God and despising his words and mocking at his prophets, until the rage of Jehovah came up.” But others react favorably and come under Jehovah’s protection. “As for the one listening to me [true wisdom], he will reside in security and be undisturbed from dread of calamity.”​—Proverbs 1:20, 33; Matthew 25:34-46.