When does the judgment of the sheep and the goats happen? What is the basis for this judgment? How do we know there is going to be a judgment?
Our Lord Jesus told his disciples that he was going to come to render judgment based on behavior of deeds.
Matthew 16:27… For the Son of man is destined (G3195 sure) to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will recompense (G591 render) each one according to his behavior. (G4234 deeds)
According to Strong’s Concordance G591 can be translated as rendered, restore, return, to give back, to properly return especially as a repayment, as to the source of giving back.
So, Christ Jesus identified that there was going to be a payback for people’s behavior whether they were godly or ungodly.
So, what is the basis of this judgment and what kind of behavior or deeds are we judged by?
We have two scriptural examples of the judgment of the sheep that we will look at, but the first one will be from our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice the first thing that Jesus identifies is the timing of this judgment.
Matthew 25:31- 46… When the Son of Man arrives in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne. 32 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. 33 And he will put the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. 34 “Then the king will say to those on his right, Come, YOU who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for YOU from the founding of the world. 35 For I became hungry, and YOU gave me something to eat; I got thirsty, and YOU gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and YOU received me hospitably; 36 naked, and YOU clothed me. I fell sick and YOU looked after me. I was in prison, and YOU came to me. 37 Then the righteous ones will answer him with the words, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty, and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and receive you hospitably, or naked, and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to you? 40 And in reply the king will say to them, Truly I say to YOU, To the extent that YOU did it to one of the least of these my brothers, YOU did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say, in turn, to those on his left, ‘Be on YOUR way from me, YOU who have been cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels… 46 And these will depart into everlasting cutting-off, but the righteous ones into everlasting life.
Did you notice that the basis of this judgment between a sheep and a goat has to do with how we treat Christ Jesus’ brothers? This means our everlasting life or our everlasting destruction just because of our behavior and our deeds.
Do you know who the brothers of Jesus Christ are? How could we identify the brothers of Jesus Christ? We will answer these two questions under the subheading suffering for Jesus Christ.
Next, we can identify the timing of the judgment between the sheep and the goats is done at the glorious manifestation of our lord Jesus Christ. Just as he says at the arrival with all his angels as he sits on his glorious throne in God’s glory. When will our Lord Jesus Christ arrive and how will we know it?
Revelation 1:7…Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those who pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in grief because of him. Yes, Amen.
Notice that every eye will see Jesus Christ coming in the clouds! Have you seen Jesus coming in the clouds, has this happened as of yet?
What other Scriptures speaks about the judgment of the sheep? And what is the timing of this judgment?
Ezekiel 34:17-24… And as for YOU my sheep, this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Here I am judging between a sheep and a sheep, between the rams and the he-goats. 18 Is it such a little thing for YOU men that on the very best pasturage YOU feed but the rest of YOUR pasturages YOU should trample down with YOUR feet, and that the clear waters YOU drink but the ones left over YOU should foul by stamping with YOUR very feet? 19 And as for my sheep, on the pasture ground trampled by YOUR feet should they feed and the water befouled by the stamping of YOUR feet should they drink?” 20 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said to them: “Here I am, I myself, and I shall certainly judge between a plump sheep and a lean sheep, 21 for the reason that with flank and with shoulder YOU kept pushing and with YOUR horns YOU kept shoving all the sickened ones until YOU had scattered them to the outside. 22 And I will save my sheep, and they will no longer become something for plunder; and I will judge between a sheep and a sheep. 23 And I will raise up over them one shepherd, and he must feed them, even my servant David. He himself will feed them, and he himself will become their shepherd. 24 And I myself, Jehovah, will become their God, and my servant David a chieftain in the midst of them. I myself, Jehovah, have spoken.
One of the first things that we need to identify is that there is a group and in this group are sheep, rams, and he-goats. So, this group is all together collected in a collection pen much like a congregation of people today. So, what is the difference between a Ram, He-goat, and a sheep?
A ram is a male sheep that has horns were as a He-goat usually refers to a male goat and is called a buck or billy-goat. Both of these males interfere with the shepherding of the sheep by the shepherd, and when taken out to the pasture by the shepherd are separated by their species and their groups, the males from the females and the goats from the sheep.
Can we identify why God is angry in this passage of Scripture? What kind of behavior is displayed by trampling the pasture ground and stamping in the water?
What kind of behavior is associated with pushing and shoving sick ones? And where are they scattered to?
God has promised to gather his sheep underneath his one shepherd identified as his servant David, and not under the hired men. Who are these hired men? We will answer this question under the subheading: The Word Against You Shepherds
When does this judgment of the sheep in the congregation begin?
1 Peter 4:17-19… For it is the appointed time for the judgment to start with the house of God. Now if it starts first with us, what will the end be of those who are not obedient to the good news of God? And if the righteous [man] is being saved with difficulty, where will the ungodly [man] and the sinner make a showing? So, then, also let those who are suffering in harmony with the will of God keep on commending their souls to a faithful Creator while they are doing good.
Did you notice that the apostle Peter said at the appointed time that the judgment starts with the house of God? What would that judgment look like and how would we know if it was happening now?
The apostle Peter said there would be those who are suffering in harmony with the will of God. Also, there would be people not obedient to the good news of Jesus Christ.
So, if people are not willing to suffer for the sake of Jesus Christ and the good news that he declared, those people could be referred to as sinners, ungodly or even as unrighteous.
So far, we have identified that the judgment for the house of God starts at the appointed time, followed by the manifestation of Jesus Christ when there is a judgment between the sheep and the goats, that their attitudes, behavior, and deeds are judged by God’s appointed king.
Suffering for Jesus Christ
What quality is needed for us to endure suffering?
The disciple James identified that we needed faith along with endurance to be able to suffer. James 1:2-4
Also, Jesus gave counsel to those who are going to follow him, that we need to review next.
Mark 8:34- 38 He now called the crowd to him with his disciples and said to them: “If anyone wants to come after me, let him disown himself and pick up his torture stake and follow me continually. 35 For whoever wants to save his soul will lose it; but whoever loses his soul for the sake of me, and the good news will save it. 36 Really, of what benefit is it for a man to gain the whole world and to forfeit his soul? 37 What, really, would a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever becomes ashamed of (G1870) me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of man will also be ashamed of him when he arrives in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Strong’s Concordance G1870 refers to somebody who has become ashamed, personally humiliated, and singled out because they are viewed as someone who has misplaced their confidence.
So, those who put their trust in Jesus Christ words are going to be viewed as a people who misplaced their confidence in the good news about Jesus Christ. We need to disown ourselves as it were, and to listen and become obedient to Jesus Christ who is appointed Lord of lords and King of kings.
What are some of the other identifying characteristics found in the Scriptures that refer to this period?
Matthew 13:36-43… Then after dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. And his disciples came to him and said: “Explain to us the illustration of the weeds in the field.” 37 In response he said: “The Sower of the fine seed is the Son of man; 38 the field is the world; as for the fine seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; but the weeds are the sons of the wicked one, 39 and the enemy that sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is a conclusion of a system of things, and the reapers are angels. 40 Therefore, just as the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be in the conclusion of the system of things. 41 The Son of man will send forth his angels, and they will collect out from his kingdom all things that cause stumbling and persons who are doing lawlessness, 42 and they will pitch them into the fiery furnace. There is where [their] weeping and the gnashing of [their] teeth will be. 43 At that time the righteous ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let him that has ears listen.”
Danial 12:3… And the ones having insight will shine like the brightness of the expanse; and those who are bringing the many to righteousness, like the stars to time indefinite, even forever.
Have you identified those who shine, from those who are in darkness?
The Word Against You Shepherds
For those who fail and or refuse to read the Scripture, this will not excuse them, for the word that is spoken against them is coming true.
Ezekiel 34:1-10… And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: 2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and you must say to them, to the shepherds, this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have become feeders of themselves! Is it not the flock that the shepherds ought to feed? 3 The fat is what YOU eat, and with the wool YOU clothe your own selves. The plump animal is what YOU slaughter. The flock itself YOU do not feed. 4 The sickened ones YOU have not strengthened, and the ailing one YOU have not healed, and the broken one YOU have not bandaged, and the dispersed one YOU have not brought back, and the lost one YOU have not sought to find, but with harshness YOU have had them in subjection, even with tyranny. 5 And they were gradually scattered because of there being no shepherd, so that they became food for every wild beast of the field, and they continued to be scattered. 6 My sheep kept straying on all the mountains and on every high hill; and on all the surface of the earth my sheep were scattered, with no one making a search and with no one seeking to find. 7 Therefore, YOU shepherds, hear the word of Jehovah, 8 As I am alive,” is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, surely for the reason that my sheep became something for plunder and my sheep continued to be food for every wild beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, and my shepherds did not search for my sheep, but the shepherds kept feeding themselves, and my own sheep they did not feed, 9 therefore, YOU shepherds, hear the word of Jehovah. 10 This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, Here I am against the shepherds, and I shall certainly ask back my sheep from their hand and make them cease from feeding [my] sheep, and the shepherds will no longer feed themselves; and I will deliver my sheep out of their mouth, and they will not become food for them.
What do you call a shepherd who only feeds themselves and fails to do their job? The man of lawlessness!
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4… However, brothers, respecting the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we request of YOU 2 not to be quickly shaken from YOUR reason nor to be excited either through an inspired expression or through a verbal message or through a letter as though from us to the effect that the day of Jehovah is here. 3 Let no one seduce YOU in any manner, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction. 4 He is set in opposition and lifts himself up over everyone who is called “god” or an object of reverence, so that he sits down in the temple of The God, publicly showing himself to be a god.
Have you identified that we are living in the time of apostasy? Who is receiving the reverence and publicly showing themselves to be God like? Who is the Governing Body and what authority do they hold? Have you identified the governing body as the faithful and discreet slave?
Here is one more denunciation for those who been prophesying in the name of Jehovah and governing the congregation of God. Where are your sheep, where have they gone you men of oversight?
Zechariah 13:4-7… And it must occur in that day [that] the prophets will become ashamed, each one of his visions when he prophesies; and they will not wear an official garment of hair for the purpose of deceiving. 5 And he will certainly say, ‘I am no prophet. I am a man cultivating [the] soil, because an earthling man himself acquired me from my youth on.’ 6 And one must say to him, ‘What are these wounds [on your person] between your hands?’ And he will have to say, ‘Those with which I was struck in the house of my intense lovers.’ 7 “O sword, awake against my shepherd, even against the able-bodied man who is my associate,” is the utterance of Jehovah of armies. “Strike the shepherd and let those of the flock be scattered; and I shall certainly turn my hand back upon those who are insignificant.”
You sheep who have been scattered, do not lose your love for God, and look to your Savior Jesus Christ who has been appointed by God. Take a knee and cry out! Philippians 2:9-11
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