The Sheep and the Goats

At Matthew 25:31-33, it is recorded that Jesus said: 'When the Son of Man arrives in his glory along with all the messengers, he will sit down on his glorious throne, and all nations will be led before him. Then he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he'll put the sheep on his right, but the goats on his left.'

A common misconception about the separating of the sheep and the goats mentioned in these verses, is that it is speaking of Jesus separating the righteous from the unrighteous for what Revelation 16:16 refers to as the Battle of Armageddon. However, that doesn't appear to be the case here, for no battle is mentioned. And according to Revelation 16:13, 14, that great battle is fought against the kings and armies of this world, not within those of Jesus' flock (for more information, see the document, Armageddon – When?).

Rather, you may notice that these words of Jesus at Matthew 25 may be part of a quotation from the prophecy of Ezekiel 34:17, which says, 'And from among you, My sheep; says Jehovah the Lord, {Look!} I'll separate the sheep from the sheep, and the rams from the goats.'

So, the prophecy in Ezekiel clearly seems to be speaking of the time when Jesus (My servant David) does this separating work… and this appears to be the same thing that Jesus was talking about at Matthew 25:31-33. Therefore, it could easily be assumed that both prophecies are speaking of the same group of 'sheep.'

The Differences in the Prophecies

At Ezekiel 34:13, we read, 'I'll lead them out of the nations… I'll gather them from many regions, then bring them [back] to their land, where on IsraEl's mountains I'll graze them… in the valleys and homes of their land.'

So, despite the similarities of these two prophecies, there appears to be a significant difference between them. For, Ezekiel is speaking of the lost sheep of IsraEl, who in a modern fulfillment would likely be those who call themselves Christians (for more information, see the linked document JeruSalem and 'the IsraEl of God'). But in Matthew's text it is the people of the nations who are being spoken of just before this separating work happens; and that term (gr. tas ethne) is always used in reference to non-IsraElites. For, at Matthew 25:31 we read: 'all nations will be led before him'… and this gives us the impression that peoples of the nations (those who are not Israel) are being separated as either sheep or goats.

However, there may be a corruption of the text in Matthew (a not-uncommon problem), which ties the nations a bit too closely to the sheep and the goats. For, notice that 'the nations' are also mentioned in the Ezekiel text, and a couple of missed words when quoting Jesus would imply the wrong thing… but then, there could also have been some corruption in the text of EzekiEl by Jewish scribes who thought that bringing 'people of the nations' among them would be unthinkable. So, we will keep an open mind on the true meaning of this verse.

But if Jesus was in fact quoting the prophecy of Ezekiel 34 here, he probably didn't have reference to an Armageddon or pre-Armageddon judging of all the peoples of the world, as most think; rather, he would have been talking about judging those whom he deemed to be 'his people,' before giving the righteous an inheritance in their homeland, a spiritual or physical 'IsraEl.' And this is implied by the fact that Jesus was separating the sheep from the goats from out of one flock.

Another View

On the other hand, we find it interesting that the description of the sheep whom Jesus was discussing at Matthew 25:31-46 is remarkably similar to the group mentioned at Revelation 7:9, 10, which reads: 'And after all that, I saw {Look!} a crowd so large that no one could count them. They came from all countries, nationalities, ethnic groups, and languages, and they were standing within sight of the throne and within sight of the Lamb. They were all wearing white robes, they carried palm branches in their hands, and they were shouting, We owe our salvation to our God who is sitting on the throne, and to the Lamb!'

Notice that the account in Revelation 7 then goes on to tell us that this huge group has 'washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,' which seems to imply that they will have cleaned up their lives and gotten baptized, and also that they will have lived through the great time of difficulty, which (according to the Revelation) precedes the destruction of The Great Babylon and the Battle of Armageddon.

The fact that both groups are spoken of as coming from among the 'nations' or 'ethnics,' seems to indicate that they are not chosen from among the IsraEl of God… those who claim to have a covenant relationship with God. So, they could be non-religious peoples, and/or those with pagan religious backgrounds.

Revelation Chapter Seven then says they are shouting, 'We owe our salvation to our God who is sitting on the throne and to the Lamb.' So, since they are standing 'in front of the throne' (not sitting on it with God and Jesus), they have obviously continued to live here on the earth. For, being 'guided to the fountains of waters of life' indicates that their names have not yet been written in the Scroll of Life.

The Reward of the Sheep

Then, take another look at the reward for those whom Jesus Jesus described as being declared to be 'sheep' in the account of Matthew 25. Notice that it says in verse 34 that they will 'Inherit the Kingdom.' Now, the reward of 'Inheriting the Kingdom' has long been thought to mean that such ones will go to heaven to reign with Jesus; for, this is the same thing that is spoken of at 1 Corinthians 15:50, where we read, 'I tell you this, brothers: Flesh and blood can't inherit God's Kingdom, nor can [something] corruptible inherit something that's incorruptible.'

Understand that most Christians use this scripture (in 1 Corinthians) to prove that human bodies (flesh and blood) will not be taken into heaven, and therefore, those who inherit God's Kingdom were promised life in heaven as co-rulers with Jesus. But, was Paul really speaking about heavenly life in that verse? We think not (for more information about the possible meaning of these words, see the linked document 'God's Promise of an Inheritance' under the subheading A Contradiction?).

Then, could Jesus have been saying that those whom he finds to be 'sheep' will be taken to heaven? Well, consider the context and setting of his words found in Matthew 25. For, wherever the 'sheep' were, the 'goats' were also, since they appear to have been in the same place when they were being judged. And Jesus spoke of this judging after he spoke of his Coming and after the Rapture.

It is interesting that the same thing is said to be true of the sheep described in Ezekiel 34:23-31, for there it is clearly speaking of blessings that are earthly. Notice that is says:
'I will raise a shepherd for them, and, My servant David will tend them… he'll care and be a shepherd for them. Then I Jehovah will be their God, and My servant David will rule in their midst… for I Jehovah have spoken. I'll make an Agreement of peace among them, and wipe the fierce beasts from their land. For, they will dwell in the deserts, and in the forests they'll sleep. Then around My [Holy] Mountain they'll be scattered, and I'll give them rain when it's due… it will be a rain of great blessings.

'The trees in the plains will then yield their fruit; the ground will yield all her strength; and in the hope of peace they'll dwell on their land. Then they will know that I am Jehovah, when I break the chains of their yoke, and save them out of the hands, of those who are making them slaves.

'No more will they be the plunder of nations, nor will they be eaten by wild beasts. For, they will then dwell in hope, and none will make them afraid anymore. I'll raise for them plants of peace, and they won't hunger or starve anymore, nor will they be scorned by the nations. Then they'll know that I am Jehovah their God, and they'll know that I will be with them. For, you are My people, O house of IsraEl, says Jehovah the Lord. You men are the sheep of my pasture, and I am Jehovah your God, says the Jehovah the Lord.'

The 'Double Bind'

But, what if Jesus wasn't quoting the prophetic words found in Ezekiel 34, and he really was just talking about a separating of the sheep from the goats among the 'nations' at Armageddon (or sometime before)? Then we end up in a 'double bind' situation. For, if 'inheriting the Kingdom' means inheriting life in heaven, then what did Jesus mean when he said (at Matthew 5:5), 'The meek are blest, For they will inherit the earth?' And what was meant by the words of Proverbs 2:20-22, where we are told, 'But smooth are the roads that the righteous have found, for the meek will inherit the earth, and the honest will be those that remain. Then the upright will camp in the land, and those who'll be left are the holy. But the ways of the disrespectful will be gone from the land, and those who break laws will be banished.'

And then, who is the 'IsraEl' that is spoken of by all of the Prophets, and how do they differ from the 'sheep?' Notice that both groups are spoken of prophetically at Isaiah 49:22 where (when speaking to IsraEl) God promised, 'Look, says the [great] Lord Jehovah, I'm lifting My hand to the nations, and to the islands I'll lift My sign. Then they will raise your sons to their chests, and your daughters they'll lift on their shoulders. Then their kings will serve as your [butlers], and their queens will be your wet nurses. They'll bow before you with their faces to the ground, and lick the dust from your feet. Then you will know that I am Jehovah, and those waiting for Me will never be shamed.'

So, the prophecy in IsaiAh shows both groups, with 'the nations' serving 'IsraEl' in earthly (not heavenly) situations.

Whom the Prophecy of Ezekiel was Addressing

Notice that the entire prophecy found in the Thirty-fourth Chapter of Ezekiel was addressed to the unfaithful leaders of IsraEl; their leaders, kings, prophets, and priests. For we read in verses two through four, 'O son of man; Now prophesy against IsraEl's shepherds… prophesy and tell them that thus says Jehovah the Lord: O shepherds of IsraEl; Do shepherds graze for themselves? Don't the sheep graze for the shepherds? Look! You have drunk all their milk, and wrapped yourselves in their wool; you have slaughtered the best of My sheep, and failed to graze [all the rest]. Those that are weak you don't strengthen, and those that are ill you don't treat; those with broken [bones] you don't wrap, and those that have strayed aren't returned; for those that are lost you don't search, and for those that are strong you make trouble.

Then the Prophecy goes on to say (in verses 20-23): 'Because of this, says Jehovah the Lord, {Look!} I'll separate the strong from the weak. For, you pushed them away with your shoulders and sides, and the weak you gored with your horns… you squeezed them out and pushed them aside! So, I will rescue My sheep, and no more will they serve as [your] plunder, for I will judge between ram and ram. I will raise a shepherd for them, and he (David, My servant) will tend them… he'll care and be a shepherd for them; I Jehovah will be their God, and My servant David will rule in their midst… for I Jehovah have spoken.'

So, at least in the case of the lost sheep of IsraEl; the reason why they will be led off into some sort of 'captivity' is because they have been misled by their 'shepherds,' so-called 'Christian' leaders, both political and religious.

The Condemnation of the Goats

Then, what about 'the goats' of Jesus' prophecy? The fact that they are said to be 'cursed into the fire of the ages that was prepared for the Opposer and his messengers,' shows that they aren't the ones who are just considered to be 'the unrighteous;' for, Paul (the Apostle), when speaking in his own defense before the Jewish religious court (Sanhedrin), said in reference to the Pharisees (at Acts 24:15), 'And I have this hope in God, which they (the Pharisees) also share, that there's going to be a resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous.' So, according to him, the unrighteous will also be resurrected.

Also, at 1 Corinthians 6:9 Paul wrote: 'Don't you know that those who are unrighteous won't inherit the Kingdom of God?' Here you can see that these can't be the same as the 'sheep' who 'inherit the Kingdom.' Therefore, it appears as though there will be a third group which will be resurrected to life on the earth, who are neither the sheep nor the goats. Or, perhaps the separating of the sheep and the goats is referring to something that will happen after all the resurrections are completed.

Then, what will be the outcome for those found to be 'goats?' Does being 'cursed into the fire of the ages' mean that they will be eternally destroyed? Possibly, but consider what Jesus went on to say (in verse 46): 'Then these will go off into age-long punishment, but the righteous into age-long life.' We realize that this quotation reads quite differently from the words found in other Bible translations, but notice the word-for-word rendering of the Greek text: 'kai And apeleusontai will/go/away outoi these eis into kolasin punishment aiōniŏn ages oi de but dikaioi righteous eis into zoen life aiōniŏn ages.' So, a closer look at the actual words could imply a period of continued human life in a state of inactivity or exile.

Doing Good for Jesus' Brothers

What is the basis of the judgment which determines who the 'sheep' are and who the 'goats' are? As Jesus said, it all depends on how they treat his 'brothers.' And just who are Jesus' brothers? He said (at Matthew 12:49): 'Whoever does all that my Father in heaven wishes is my brother, sister, and mother.' So, it appears as though Jesus answered this question. For, although some teach that Jesus' 'brothers' consist of a special group who are found so righteous that they are chosen by God and given the reward of life in heaven, Jesus said that whoever does God's Will is his brother. Thus it appears as though we can all be found to be sheep if we will simply show love for each other and care for each other's need in periods of trial.

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