Jesus was to separate the sheep from goats

JESUS WAS TO SEPARATE THE SHEEP FROM GOATS
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Matthew 25:32 32
All the nations will be gathered
before him, and he will separatethe people one from
another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the
goats
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Judgment Of The Nations
Matthew 25:31-46
W.F. Adeney The two earlier parables of judgment refer to those who are in
confessedrelationship with God. The parable of the ten virgins represents the
relationship of friendship, - that of people who would share in the joys of
God's home, as friends at a wedding feast;the parable of the talents
represents a less intimate relationship, - that of service;the talents are
committed to their proprietor's "ownservants." Now the scene changes,and
we are brought out to the larger world of the nations; the judgment of those
who do not know Christ as their Friend or consciouslyserve him as their
Masteris here typified. To Jews this would mean the judgment of the
Gentiles;to Christians it represents the judgment of the heathen, with those,
also, who live in Christendom, but who do not give their adherence to any of
the Churches.
I. CHRIST WILL JUDGE THE WORLD.
1. There will be a judgment of the world. This is not to be confined to the
Church; it will not be only for those who acknowledgeChrist. We cannot
escape from it by ignoring the rule of Christ. The most heedless and careless,

the most worldly and unspiritual, the most scepticaland materialistic, will be
brought before the bar of the universal judgment.
2. This judgment will be in the hands of Christ. It will be conducted by the
"Sonof man," who, even when acting as a Judge, is to be regardedas a
Shepherd dividing his flocks. Therefore the judgment will be conductedwith
humanity and with sympathy, with the discrimination of knowledge gainedin
experience.
II. THE JUDGMENT OF CHRIST WILL RESULT IN A TWOFOLD
DIVISION.
1. There will be two classes.All are not condemned; but all are not approved.
Even Jesus with all his graciousnessmust reprobate what is wrong. His gospel
is not a security of salvationfor the sinful impenitent.
2. There will be but two. These are the main divisions. All characters tend
either downward or upward. We are all either in the narrow wayor in the
broad way - either sheep or goats.
3. These classeswillbe separated. At present they are united. There will be a
revelation and a division, and eachman will then go to his own place.
III. THE GROUND OF JUDGMENTWILL BE MEN'S CONDUCT
TOWARDS OTHER PEOPLE. It will not be a professionof religion, nor a
creed, nor a performance of acts of worship. Christ looks chiefly to conduct in
the world. He takes whatis done to one of his brethren as the test. This is just
the same as if it were done to him, because he is so perfectly sympathetic, that
he feels what is done to his brother exactly as though it were done to himself.
The rule is for the judgment of the heathen and those outside the Church of
Christ. More is expectedof Christ's own confessedfollowers -lamps well
supplied with oil of grace, andfaithful use of entrusted talents. But such
people cannotbe excusedfrom what is expectedeven of the heathen. We can
all best serve Christ by ministering to his brethren. This is what he most cares
for.
IV. THE JUDGMENT WILL RESULT IN BLESSEDNESSAND
PUNISHMENT.
1. There is the joy of the kingdom for the sheep on the right hand. It is
remarkable to see that the kingdom was prepared for such from the
foundation of the world. From the first its blessings were formany who are
not in any visible Church, for many who do not know themselves to be
Christians.

2. There is punishment for the goats on the left hand. The hard and selfishare
those who receive this punishment. They will not escape itbecause oftheir
ignorance or their refusalto recognize Christ. It will be unbearably awful. -
W.F.A.
Biblical Illustrator
When the Son of Man shall come in His glory.
Matthew 25:31
The peculiar characterofthe generaljudgment
R. Jones, B. A.I. WHO ARE TO BE JUDGED? — "All nations."
II. THE JUDGE OF MAN.
1. The Judge will be righteous in His decisions.
2. The Judge Himself having been the witness of all the moral actions of men
will require no evidence.
3. Then why do we live so thoughtlessly?
III. THE ISSUE OF THE JUDGMENT. Finalseparationof the wickedand
the righteous.
(R. Jones, B. A.)
The lastjudgment
J. Dixon.I. THE PERSONALGLORYAND MAJESTYOF THE JUDGE.
1. He will appear in that nature which He assumedas the Saviour of men.
2. The attributes of a suffering and degraded humanity will not be requisite to
identify the Judge.
3. Heaven's innumerable inhabitants will accompanythe Sonof Man.
4. Then shall He set up the throne of His glory.

II. THE SUPREME PREROGATIVESOF THE SON OF MAN AS
DISPLAYED IN THE JUDGMENT OF THE WORLD.
1. The veil has been removed which conceals His dignity.
2. His unsearchable wisdom and poweris further exhibited in the separating
process.
III. THE PRINCIPLE ON WHICH THE AWARDS OF THE JUDGMENT
WILL BE DISTRIBUTED.
1. The Judge speaks from His throne as King in Zion.
2. He proceeds to assignreasonsforthe Father's having thus receivedthem.
3. The language of surprise on the lips of the righteous.
IV. THE FINAL STATE OF THE RIGHTEOUS.
1. Express our solemn satisfactionin the assurance thatChrist will sit as
Judge of the race.
2. Let us daily demonstrate our love to Christ by abounding in works of
mercy.
3. If through self-interestany Christian be undone, he will be found without
apology.
(J. Dixon.)
The judgment
J. C. Gray.I. THE VAST ASSEMBLAGE.
1. All the holy angels.
2. All nations.
3. All classes.
4. All ages.
5. All characters.
6. We shall be there.
7. All must obey the summons. Eachmust answerto his name.
II. THE FINAL SEPARATION.
1. Here, this separationis impossible. The tares grow with the wheat.
2. Here, while many unions are injurious, many separations are painful.
There, all will feel that the separationis right.

3. It will be basedon character. Here wealth, etc. sunders men. There, all will
belong to one of two classes — sheep or goats.
4. Viewedfrom our present standpoint, many of those separations will be
painful,
III. THE SOLEMN SENTENCE.
1. Even to the good.
2. Still more to the wicked. There will be no reversalof the sentence.
3. Executionwill promptly follow the sentence.
(J. C. Gray.)
The greatday of the Lord
D. Gerok, D. D.Contrastthe first and last coming of Christ.
I. Its greatrevelations.
II. Its greataccount.
III. Its greatseparation.
IV. Its greatdecision.
(D. Gerok, D. D.)
The final separation
G. Brooks.I. ITS AUTHOR.
1. His ability.
2. His prerogative.
II. ITS NATURE.
1. Its exactness.
2. Its completeness.
3. Its consequencesin respectto place and employment and interest.
4. Its duration.
III. ITS PRINCIPLE.
1. On the ground of character.
2. The test of characterbeing the state of mind and heart toward the
Redeemer.
3. The evidence of a right state of mind and heart toward the Redeemerbeing
the treatment of His people. "If we would judge ourselves we should not be
judged."

(G. Brooks.)
The final separation
Expository Outlines.I. THE IMPORTANT PERIODREFERRED TO.
"When the Son of Man shall come."
1. What this statementimplies. It is the certainty of the Saviour's second
coming; no intimation given of the precise time.
2. What this statementannounces — It tells us how He will come.
(1)The manner of His appearing — "in His glory."
(2)His numerous retinue — "and all the holy angels."
(3)The dignified position He will assume — "Then shall He sit upon the
throne of His glory."
II. THE SOLEMN TRANSACTIONSDESCRIBED.
1. The persons who will appear before Him — "all nations."
2. The division that will take place — "and He shall separate them."
III. THE SEPARATE AWARDS PRONOUNCED.
1. The righteous.
(1)The ineffable welcome they receive.
(2)The specialreasonsadduced.
(3)The questions which the favoured throng propose.
(4)The explanation which is given in reply.
2. The wicked.
(1)Their awful doom.
(2)The grounds on which it rests.
IV. THE FINAL ISSUE DECLARED — "And these shall go away," etc.
(Expository Outlines.)
The greatseparation
G. Coad.I. LET US CONTEMPLATE IT AS A REVEALED FACT.
II. THE NATURE OF THIS SEPARATION.
1. It will be made by the Judge Himself.
2. It will be made wholly on the ground of moral character.
3. It will take place at the judgment day.

4. It will be a separationin place and residence.
5. It will be a separationin interest and employment.
6. It will be eternal.
III. ON WHAT GROUND IT WILL BE MADE.
1. Upon our moral characterformed in this state of probation.
2. This has an important bearing upon our earthly friendships.
3. What must be done in order to avoid being separatedwith the wicked.
(G. Coad.)
The greatseparation
Dr. Bonar.I. The coming.
II. The sitting.
III. The gathering.
IV. The separating.
V. The convicting.
VI. The sentencing.
VII. The executing.
(Dr. Bonar.)
Christ come in His glory
T. Manton.The Judge of this world is Jesus Christ. Let us inquire —
I. How Christ cometh to be the world's Judge;and with what conveniencyand
agreeablenessto reasonthis honour is put upon Him. To a judge there
belongeththese four things —
(1)Wisdom;
(2)justice;
(3)power;
(4)authority.
II. Why is Christ the Judge of the world rather than the Father, and the
Spirit, who made us and gave the law to us? These have one common nature,
and the operations that are with the Divine essence,are common to them all.
There is also an order and economy, according to which all their operations
are produced, and brought forth to the creature; according to which order
their power of judging fell partly to the Father, and partly to the Son.

(T. Manton.)
Christ's appearance
T. Manton.Doctrine. ThatChrist's appearance forthe judgment of the world
shall be glorious and full of majesty.
I. His PERSONALGLORY
1. The dignity of His person.
2. The quality of His office.
3. The greatness ofHis work.
4. The foregoing appearancesofChrist. Why will He come in this greatglory?
(1)To take off the scandaland ignominy of the cross.
(2)To begeta greaterreverence and fear in the hearts of all those that shall be
judged by Him.
(3)Forthe comfort of His people; for Christ is a pattern and pledge of what
shall be done in them.
II. His ROYAL ATTENDANCE— "Holy angels with Him."
1. Partly for a train.
2. Partly that, by their ministry, the work of the day may be more speedily
dispatched.
(T. Manton.)
Christ the Shepherd
T. Manton.A shepherd among men is not lord of the flock, but a servantto
take charge of them.
I. CHRIST IS A GOOD SHEPHERD.
1. Known by His care and vigilancy.
2. Shownby His pity and wisdom, to deal tenderly with the flock, as their state
doth require.
3. Seenin His constantly.performing all parts of a shepherd to them.
4. Provedin His giving His life for them.
II. CHRIST IS A GREAT SHEPHERD.
1. Greatin His person; the Son of God.
2. Greatin regard to the excellencyofHis gifts and qualifications.

3. Greatin regard of His flock;He is the Shepherd of souls, millions of them
are committed to His charge, and one soul is more worth than all the world.
(T. Manton.)
The godly are as sheep
T. Manton.1. Sheepare such kind of creatures as naturally gatherthemselves
together, and unite themselves in a flock.
2. They are innocent and harmless creatures.
3. They are obedient to the shepherd.
4. They are poor, dependent creatures
(a)because oftheir erring (wandering)property;
(b)because of their weakness.
(T. Manton.)
The wickedare as goats
T. Manton.Theyare as goats both for their unruliness and uncleanness.
Unruliness; they have not the meekness ofsheep;are ready to break through
all fence and restraint; so a wickedman is yokeless. Theyare also wanton and
loathsome — 'tis a baser sortof animal than the sheep— therefore chosento
setforth a wickedand ungodly man.
(T. Manton.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(32)Before him shall be gathered
all nations.—Better, allthe nations, or even better, perhaps, all the Gentiles.
The word is that which, when used, as here, with the article, marks out, with
scarcelyanexception, the heathen nations of the world as distinguished from
God’s people Israel(as, e.g., in Romans 15:11-12;Ephesians 2:11). The word,
thus taken, serves as the key to the distinctive teaching that follows. We have
had in this chapter, (1) in the Wise and FoolishVirgins, the law of judgment
for all members of the Church of Christ; (2) in the Talents, that for all who
hold any office or ministry in the Church: now we have (3) the law by which
those shall be judged who have lived and died as heathens, not knowing the
name of Christ, and knowing God only as revealedin Nature or in the law
written in their hearts. Every stage in what follows confirms this
interpretation.

As a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.—Elsewhere the shepherd’s
work is the symbol of protective, self-sacrificing love, and, as such, our Lord
had emphatically claimed for Himself the title of the GoodShepherd (John
10:14). Here we are reminded that even the shepherd has at times to execute
the sentence ofjudgment which involves separation. The “right” hand and the
“left” are used, according to the laws of what we might almostcall a natural
symbolism, as indicating respectivelygoodand evil, acceptance andrejection.
BensonCommentaryHYPERLINK "/context/matthew/25-32.htm"Matthew
25:32-33. Before him shall be gatheredall nations — That is, all the
individuals of all nations and ages;not only all that are found alive at the time
of his appearing, and are changedin a moment, and rendered immortal, that
they may be capable of enjoying eternal happiness, or of suffering everlasting
misery, but all that had ever lived from the beginning to the end of time. All of
every clime, country, and place, greatand small, even from the remotest
corners of the world. And he shall separate them one from another —
According to their different characters, (whichhe most perfectly knows,)with
as much ease as a shepherd divideth his sheep, which belong to his flock, from
the goats, whichmay be mingled with them, and places them in distinct
companies. And he shall setthe sheep — The righteous, whom he will own as
such, and who are termed sheepon accountof their innocence, meekness, and
usefulness;on his right hand — In tokenof his favour to them, and of the
further honours he purposes to bestow upon them. And the goats — That is,
the wicked, calledgoats because ofthe exorbitancy of their lusts; on his left —
To intimate his displeasure againstthem, and their final removal from among
his people;nor shall the haughtiestand mightiest sinner be able to resistthat
appointment by which he is placedin this situation. “I cannot imagine,” says
Dr. Doddridge, “a more magnificent image than this; the assembledworld
distinguished with suchunerring penetration, and distributed into two grand
classes, withas much ease as sheepand goats are rangedby a shepherd in
different companies.” The wickedand the godly in this world dwell together
in the same kingdoms, cities, churches, families, and are not with certainty
distinguishable always one from another: such are the infirmities of saints,
such the hypocrisies of sinners, and one event frequently happening to both;
but in that day they will be separatedand parted for ever: for the Lord both
knows them that are his, and them that are not, and he can and will separate
them: and the separationwill be so exact, that the most inconsiderable saint
shall not be lost in the crowd of sinners, nor the most plausible sinner hid in
the crowdof saints, Psalm 1:5; but every one shall go to his own place. Dr.
Whitby thinks, that there is an allusionhere to the receivedcustom of the

Jews in capital causes,to place them who are to be acquitted on the right
hand, in the sanhedrim, and those who were to receive the sentence of
condemnation, on the left.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary25:31-46This is a description of the
last judgment. It is as an explanation of the former parables. There is a
judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentencedto a state of
everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of his
Father, but in his own glory, as Mediator. The wickedand godly here dwell
together, in the same cities, churches, families, and are not always to be
known the one from the other; such are the weaknessesofsaints, such the
hypocrisies of sinners; and death takes both: but in that day they will be
parted for ever. Jesus Christis the greatShepherd; he will shortly distinguish
betweenthose that are his, and those that are not. All other distinctions will be
done away;but the greatone betweensaints and sinners, holy and unholy, will
remain for ever. The happiness the saints shall possessis very great. It is a
kingdom; the most valuable possessiononearth; yet this is but a faint
resemblance ofthe blessedstate of the saints in heaven. It is a kingdom
prepared. The Fatherprovided it for them in the greatness ofhis wisdom and
power; the Son purchased it for them; and the blessedSpirit, in preparing
them for the kingdom, is preparing it for them. It is prepared for them: it is in
all points adapted to the new nature of a sanctified soul. It is prepared from
the foundation of the world. This happiness was for the saints, and they for it,
from all eternity. They shall come and inherit it. What we inherit is not gotby
ourselves. It is God that makes heirs of heaven. We are not to suppose that
acts of bounty will entitle to eternal happiness. Goodworks done for God's
sake, through Jesus Christ, are here noticedas marking the characterof
believers made holy by the Spirit of Christ, and as the effects ofgrace
bestowedon those who do them. The wickedin this world were often calledto
come to Christ for life and rest, but they turned from his calls;and justly are
those bid to depart from Christ, that would not come to him. Condemned
sinners will in vain offer excuses.The punishment of the wickedwill be an
everlasting punishment; their state cannot be altered. Thus life and death,
goodand evil, the blessing and the curse, are setbefore us, that we may choose
our way, and as our way so shall our end be.
Barnes'Notes on the BibleAnd before him ... - At his coming to judgment the
world will be burned up, 2 Peter 3:10, 2 Peter3:12; Revelation20:11. The
dead in Christ that is, all true Christians - will be raised up from their graves,
1 Thessalonians 4:16. The living will be changed - i. e., will be made like the
glorified bodies of those that are raised from the dead, 1 Corinthians 15:52-

54; 1 Thessalonians 4:17. All the wickedwill rise and come forth to judgment,
John 5:28-29;Daniel 12:2; Matthew 13:41-42;Revelation20:13. Then shall
the world be judged, the righteous saved, and the wickedpunished.
And he shall separate ... - Shall determine respecting their character, and
shall appoint them their doom accordingly.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary32. And before him shall be
gatheredall nations—or, "allthe nations." That this should be understood to
mean the heathen nations, or all exceptbelievers in Christ, will seemamazing
to any simple reader. Yet this is the expositionof Olshausen, Stier, Keil,
Alford (though latterly with some diffidence), and of a number, though not all,
of those who hold that Christ will come the secondtime before the
millennium, and that the saints will be caught up to meet Him in the air
before His appearing. Their chief argument is, the impossibility of any that
ever knew the Lord Jesus wondering, at the Judgment Day, that they should
be thought to have done—orleft undone—anything "unto Christ." To that we
shall advert when we come to it. But here we may just say, that if this scene
does not describe a personal, public, final judgment on men, according to the
treatment they have given to Christ—and consequently men within the
Christian pale—we shall have to consideragainwhether our Lord's teaching
on the greatestthemes of human interestdoes indeed possessthat
incomparable simplicity and transparencyof meaning which, by universal
consent, has been ascribedto it. If it be said, But how can this be the general
judgment, if only those within the Christian pale be embraced by it?—we
answer, What is here described, as it certainly does not meet the case ofall the
family of Adam, is of course so far not general. But we have no right to
conclude that the whole "judgment of the greatday" will be limited to the
point of view here presented. Other explanations will come up in the course of
our exposition.
and he shall separate them—now for the first time; the two classes having
been mingled all along up to this awful moment.
as a shepherd divideth his sheepfrom the goats—(SeeEze 34:17).
Matthew Poole's CommentarySee Poole on"Matthew 25:33".
Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd before him shall be gathered all
nations..... Thatis, all that have professedthe Christian religion in all the
nations of the world, whether Jews orGentiles, high or low, rich or poor, wise
and foolish, such as have had greateror lessertalents;though it is also true of
every individual of mankind of every nation, tribe and family, of every sex,
age, and state, that everhas been, is, or will be. Yet Christian professors seem

only here intended, as the following distinction of them, their final state, and
the reasons ofit show. This collectionof them before Christ, the righteous
judge, will be made by the holy angels, who will come with him for this
purpose; and being mighty, as they are, will be able to accomplishgreata
work;and especiallyas being under the direction, influence, and authority of
so divine, glorious, and illustrious a person, as the sonof man will then to all
appear to be,
And he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his
sheepfrom the goats:they shall be gatheredbefore him, as they were together
in their visible church state, as being all under a professionofreligion; some
wise, some foolishvirgins; some sheep, and others goats;some industrious,
diligent, faithful, and laborious servants;others wicked, slothful, and
unprofitable ones;many of whom pass undistinguished and undiscovered
now: but then the judge, who is of quick understanding, will easilydiscern the
one from the other; such as have the oil of grace in the vessels oftheir hearts,
togetherwith their lamps, from such as have only the outward visible lamp of
a profession, but destitute of the grace ofGod; and goodand faithful servants,
who have made a right use of their gifts, from such who have been negligent,
careless, andremiss; and though these have been folded together, sheepand
goats, in the sheepfoldof the church, where they have all bore the characterof
the sheepof Christ; yet now when the chief shepherd appears, who knows his
own sheep, and calls them by name, he will as easily separate the one from the
other, and more so, than any shepherd, among men, canpart a flock
consisting of sheepand goats. Hypocrites in Zion shall now be no more, nor
sinners stand any longerin the congregationof the righteous, nor both
togetheras one body, and on one side in judgment.
Geneva Study BibleAnd before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall
separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheepfrom the
goats:
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek TestamentHYPERLINK"/matthew/25-32.htm"Matthew
25:32. πάντα τὰ ἔθνη naturally suggeststhe heathen peoples as distinct from
Jews, thoughthe latter may be included, notwithstanding the fact that in one
respecttheir judgment day had already come (Matthew 24:15-22).—ἀφοριεῖ:
first a process ofseparationas in the interpretation of the parable of the tares
(Matthew 13:40).—τά πρόβατα ἀπὸ τῶν ἐρίφων, the sheepfrom the young
goats. Sheepand goats, though feeding togetherunder the care of the same
shepherd, seemof their own accordto separate into two companies. Tristram
and Furrer bear witness to this.

Bengel's GnomenHYPERLINK"/matthew/25-32.htm"Matthew 25:32.
Ἀφοριεῖ, he shall separate)The separationwill not be complete before then.
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 32. - Shall be gathered(Matthew 24:31). The angels
shall gather them, the dead being first raised to life. All (τὰ, the) nations. Not
the heathen only, but all mankind (see preliminary note). The criteria upon
which the judgment proceeds, in the following verses, seemto imply that all
men have the opportunity of receiving or rejecting the gospel(Matthew 24:14;
Mark 13:10; Romans 11:32). How this canapply to those who died before the
incarnation of Christ and the consequentevangelizationof the world, we
know not, though we may believe that, ere the end comes, Christwill have
been preachedin every quarter of the globe. That some process of
enlightenment goes onin the unseen world we learn from the mysterious
passage, 1 Peter3:18-20;but we have no reasonto suppose that probation is
extended to the other life, or that souls will there have the offer of accepting or
repelling the claims of Jesus (but see Philippians 2:10; 1 Peter4:6). By
describing mankind as "all the nations," Christ shows the minute
particularity of the judgment, which will enter into distinctions of country,
race, etc., and while it is universal will be strictly impartial. He is the
Shepherd of all mankind, whether consideredas sheepor goats, andcan
therefore distinguish and class them perfectly. Those who have never heard of
Christ (if such there shall be) canbe tried only by the standard of natural
religion (Romans 1:20). Shall separate them (αὐτοὺς). Individuals of all the
nations. Hitherto goodand bad had been mingled together, often
indistinguishable by man's eye or judgment; now an eternal distinction is
made by an unerring hand (Matthew 13:49). The ideals already found in
Ezekiel34:17, "Behold, I judge betweencattle and cattle, betweenthe rams
and the he goats."As a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. The flocks
of sheep and goats generallykeeptogetherduring the day (Genesis 30:33), but
are separatedatnight or when being driven. The Syrian goatis usually black.
The Lord delights in employing simple pastoralillustrations in his teaching.
Vincent's Word StudiesAll the nations (πάντα τὰ ἔθνη)
The whole human race;though the word is generallyemployed in the New
Testamentto denote Gentiles as distinguished from Jews.
Separate them (αὐτοὺς)
Masculine, while the word nations is neuter. Nations are regardedas gathered
collectively;but in contemplating the act of separationthe Lord regards the
individuals.
The sheepfrom the goats (orkids, so Rev. in margin)

"The bald division of men into sheepand goats is, in one sense, so easyas not
to be worth performing; and in another sense it is so hard as only to be
possible for something with supernatural insight" (John Morley, "Voltaire").
Goats are an appropriate figure, because the goatwas regardedas a
comparatively worthless animal. Hence the point of the elder son's complaint
in the parable of the Prodigal: Not so much as a kid (Luke 15:29). The
diminutive (ἐρίφια) expressescontempt
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
The Final SeparationBY SPURGEON
“And before Him shall be gatheredall nations: and He shall separate
them, one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheepfrom the
goats.”
Matthew 25:32
JESUS Christ, the man of Nazareth, who is also the Son of God, was crucified,
dead and buried, and the third day He rose againfrom the dead. After He had
showedHimself to His disciples for 40 days–sometimesto one alone, at other
times to two or three together, and on one occasionto above 500 Brethren at
once–He ascendedinto Heaven. From the Mount Olivet, from the midst of His
disciples, He rose into mid air and, by-and-by, a cloud receivedHim out of
their sight. That same Jesus who is gone into Heaven shall so come in like
manner as He was seento go up into Heaven. That is to say, in Person, in His
own risen body. The same Christ who rose into the skies will, in the latter day,
surely descendagain. The time of His coming is not revealed to us–“Ofthat
day and that hour knows no man, no, not the angels of God,” but the time is
certainly growing nearer every day, and we cannottell when the hour shall be.
We are told that He will come quickly. It seems a long time since that was
said, even1,800 years, but we remember that things which are slow with us,
may be very quick with the Lord, for one day with the Lord is as a thousand

years, and a thousand years as one day. It is not for us to know the times and
the seasons.Theyremain hidden in the purpose of God. For excellentreasons
these times and seasonsare unrevealed, that we may be always on the
watchtower, notknowing at what hour the Lord Jesus may be revealed.
To the ungodly world He will come as a thief in the night and take them
unaware. But we, Brothers and Sisters, are not in darkness that that day
should overtake us as a thief. Being children of the day, we are taught to be
wakeful, and standing in the clearlight, with our loins girt, we ought to be
always looking for our Master’s appearing. Always are we to be watching,
never sleeping. Our text tells us that as one result of His coming there will be a
generaljudgement. I am not going, tonight, to try and arrange the other
events which will happen at the Lord’s coming.
It is probably true that at His coming there will be, first of all, a resurrection
and rewarding of His saints, a dividing of the 10 cities and the five cities,
according to the faithfulness of those who were entrusted with talents. And at
the close ofthat period will come that last tremendous day of which Prophets
and Apostles have spoken–
“The day that many thought should never come;
That all the wickedwishedshould never come;
That all the righteous had expectedlong;
Day greatly feared, and yet too little feared
By him who feared it most.”
A day of fear and wrath! A day of destruction of the ungodly! A testing day to
all mankind! A day which shall burn as an oven! We may tremblingly sayof
it, “Who may abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He
appears? ForHe is like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap.”
At that day when Christ shall come He shall judge all nations. There will be
gatheredbefore Him not only the Jews, to whom the Law was given, but the
Gentiles, also. Notmerely those nations who for many an age have heard the
Gospel, but those to whom it shall then have been but lately published, for the
kingdom of God must be published throughout all nations as a testimony
againstthem. Everywhere Christ will have been preachedand, then, from all
regions, men shall be summoned to stand before Him. Remember, not merely
all the living nations, but all the nationalities that have passedaway.
There shall rise from the dead the hosts that perished before the flood and
those, also, who were drowned amid its awful surges. There, too, shall appear
the myriads that followed at the call of Nimrod, the swarms of the sons of
Japheth who divided the isles of the Gentiles, and the hordes that marched to

battle at the command of the kings of Assyria and Babylon. The dead of Egypt
shall rise from their beds of spices, orfrom the earth with which their dust
has mingled. The tens of thousands shall be there over whom Xerxes wept
when he remembered how soonthey would all pass away. The Greek and the
Persian, these, shall rise, and the Roman, too, and all the hordes of Huns and
Goths that swarmed like bees from the northern hives.
They all passedinto the unknown land, but they are not lost–they shall
eachanswer
to the muster roll in the GreatDay of the Lord.
The earth, which is now becoming more and more a graveyard, shall yield up
her dead and the sea, itself, transformed into a solid pavement, shall bear
upon its bosomthe lonely ones who today lie asleepin her gloomy caverns. All
of woman born shall come forth from the prolific womb of the sepulcher–
myriads, myriads countless as the drops of the morning, or as the sands of the
sea shore. Multitudes, multitudes shall be gatheredtogetherin the valley of
decision!Their bones shall come togetherand breath shall enter their bodies
anew, and they shall live once more. Long as they have slept in the tomb, they
shall all rise with one impulse and start up with one thought–to appear before
their Judge.
The GreatWhite Throne shall be seton high, all pure and lustrous, bright
and clearlike a sapphire, as one vast mirror in which man shall see himself
and his sins reflected–andon that Throne shall sit the Sonof Man. That same
Jesus who was nailed to the tree and rose to Heaven shall sit upon the
Judgement Seat, appointed to determine the cases ofall mankind of every age.
What an assemblage!No imagination can compass it. Far as the eyes cansee–
yes, far as the eagle’s pinion cansoar–the earth shall be coveredwith men like
a field with grass in the springtide! And there will they all stand with the
Judge upon the GreatWhite Throne as the common centerof observation, for
every eye shall see Him, and they, also, that crucified Him. And all the
kindreds of the earth shall wail because ofHim.
It will be a motley throng, as you may well imagine, but the Shepherd, the
greatShepherd, the Judge, Himself, shall divide them. That division will be
the one work of the Judgement Day. He will divide them as readily and
unerringly as a shepherd divides his sheepfrom the goats. Your business,
tonight, shall be to draw the attention of eachone to that division, that eachof
you may enquire what will be the result of it upon himself. I have thought it
over on my own account, and desire to think of it, still. I would bid my mind

fly into the future and see, for a moment, “the pomp of that tremendous day
when Christ, with clouds, shall come.”
I would anticipate the verdict of that hour and I would think of the dread
alternative of Heaven or Hell. I pray we may all think of it and, especiallyyou
who are unprepared for it, that you may at once fly to Him whose blood and
righteousness, alone,canmake you hold up your head in that tremendous
hour. Three things we shall speak about–the first is the division. The secondis
the Divider. And the third is the rule of the division.
1. The first, then, is THE DIVISION. “Before Him shall be gatheredall
nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd
divides his sheep from the goats.” Thatis to say, first, they shall be
divided into two parts–His sheepand the goats. There shall be two
positions–He shallput His sheepon the right hand, but the goats on the
left. Is there no place for a third party? No, for the simple reasonthat
there will, then, be no third class. And there will, then, be none for this
reason–thatthere never was a third class!
I know there are some here, tonight, who dare not saythey believe in Jesus,
but they would not like to be put down among the ungodly. Yet I pray you
remember that there are but two books–andin one or the other of those two
your name must stand recordedby the hand of God–forthere is no third
book. There is the Lamb’s Book ofLife and if your name is there, happy are
you! If it is not there, your sins still stand recordedin the book which contains
the condemning evidence which will sealthe death warrants of unbelievers.
Listen to me! There are in this world, nowhere, any other sort of people beside
those who are dead in sin and those who are alive unto God. There is no state
between!A man either lives or is dead! You cannot find a neutral condition. A
man may be in a swoon, or he may be asleep, but he is alive–there is no state
that is not within the boundary of either life or death! Is not this clear
enough? There is no state betweenbeing converted and unconverted–between
being quickened and being dead in sin. There is no condition betweenbeing
pardoned and having our sins upon us. There is no state betweendwelling in
darkness and being brought into marvelous light.
One or the other must always be our condition–and this is the greatfolly of
mankind in all times–that they will dream of a middle state and try to loiter in
it. It was for this cause that the old Prophet, standing on Carmel’s brow, said,
“How long halt you betweentwo opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him:
but if Baal, follow him.” And it is for this reasonthat we have constantly to
call the attention of mankind to the greatdeclarationof the Gospel–“He that

believes and is baptized shall be saved: he that believes not shall be damned.”
God has given to the preachertwo hands, that he may setthe people on each
side and dealout the Truth of God to two characters and no more. Be not
deceivedabout it, you are either on the way to Heaven or on the road to Hell.
There is no “purgatory” or middle condition in the next world. “Purgatory” is
an invention of the Pope for the filling of his cellarand his pantry–and no
more profitable speculationhas ever been set than the saying of masses and
the robbing of dupes under the pretence of altering that state which is fixed
forever! Purgatory Pick-Purse wasthe name the first Reformers gave it. But
you will go to Heaven or to Hell–and you will remain in one place or the
other–foryou have either a characterthat is fit for Heavenor a characterthat
is fit for Hell. There is no characterwhich can be supposed, if we understand
the Scriptures correctly, which would be fit for a middle place. And neither is
there any middle place prepared for it. “He shall separate them one from
another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats:and He shall set the
sheepon His right hand, but the goats on the left.” The human flock will be
divided into two companies.
Observe, next, that they will be divided readily. It is not everybody that could
divide sheep from goats. I suppose, according to your ordinary judgement of
goats, you could very readily tell them from sheep. But one who has traveled
in the Eastand even in Italy, knows that it takes somewhattutoredeyes to
know a certain kind of goatfrom a certain kind of sheep. They are extremely
like eachother–the woolof some sheep in a warm climate becomes so like hair
and the hair of a kind of goatis so much like wool, that a travelerscarcely
knows which is which–but a shepherd who has lived among them knows the
difference well.
So in this world, it is easyenoughto tell the sinner from the saint in some
cases–youneed no greatwit to discern the characters ofthe grosslydishonest,
the drunk, the debauched, the Sabbath-breaker, the profane. You know that
they have no part among the people of God, for they bear upon themselves the
ensigns of the children of the Evil One–the immoral are easilyseparatedfrom
the pure in heart. But inside the Church there are a number of persons who
have so much about them that looks goodand yet so much that is terribly
inconsistent, that we are quite unable to discoverwhich is their true nature!
Thank God we are not called upon to judge them, nor even allowedto do so.
The most experiencedpastormust scarcelyattempt to do so. Certainly, if he
feels so much trouble about the matter that he takes it to his Lord and asks
for directions as to how to deal with these tares, he will be told to let them
grow on till harvest time, lest in rooting up the tares he should root up, also,

the wheatwith them. I talked, today, to a certain goodman who labors hard
among the poor in the Eastend. He said, “We have a great number who
profess to be converted, but,” he said, “I do not think that much more than
one in five actually stayand turn out to be really so.
“But,” he said, “we have no trouble about them in the Church–no such
trouble as you would be likely to have with your people, because,” he said,
“among the class ofpeople who go to the Tabernacle there is a feeling that it is
right to go to the House of God at leastonce on the Sabbath, if not twice. And
if persons join the Church, there, they will, from habit. continue to attend.
But,” he said, “the moment a man of the poorestclass ceasesto be a Christian
in heart, he ceases, atthe same time, to attend the public services, because
there is no fashionto keephim up to it. And so he follows his own tastes, stops
at home and loafs about, and in all probability gets drunk, or falls into some
other of the common vices of his class, andhe is sifted off at once.”
In such cases the classesare easilyseparated. Butamong a more respectable
class ofpeople, who do not drink and who observe the Sabbath, you will have
a number of people who remain in the Church, though they have no secret
piety, no real love to Christ, no private prayer and, therefore, there is all the
more danger. Now, dearFriends, what we cannot do, and must not try to do,
Jesus Christ will do easilyenough. The Shepherd, when He comes, will soon
separate His sheepfrom the goats. His eyes of fire will read eachheart. The
hypocrites in the Church will tremble in a moment–instinctively reading the
meaning of that glance, as Christ, will, by that glance say to them, “Whatare
you doing, here, among My people?”
Remember, that as the division will be made readily it will be made Infallibly,
that is to say, there will not be found among the goats one poor trembling
sheepleft to be driven off with the unclean herd. When Christ says, “Depart,
you cursed,” He will not say that to one sincere but feeble soul. Ah no, you
may condemn yourself, but if you really have a living faith, the Lord will not
condemn you. You may often be afraid that He will bid you depart, but He
will not. No lamb of His flock shall be among the goats!The whole company of
His redeemedshall be safely gatheredinto their eternal mansions–
“Lord, those shall bear that day, so dread, so splendid,
Whose sins are, by Your merits coveredover,
Who when Your hand of mercy was extended,
Believed, obeyed, and ownedYour gracious power;
These, mighty God, shall see without dismay
The earth and Heaven before them pass away!”

The swordcuts the other way, too, and therefore be sure of this, that there
will be no goatallowedto enter the pastures of the blessedamong the sheep!
No unconverted gracelesspersonwill follow the Great Shepherd to those
living fountains, above, which afford eternal draughts of bliss to the
purchased flock. Thoughthe sinner may have led a sort of outwardly
consistentlife for 40 or 50 years. Thoughhe may have preachedthe Gospel
and done many wonderful works, yetChrist will sayto him, “I never knew
you.” He will not be able to keepon his sheep’s clothing, then, or bleat any
longerin sheepfashion–Christwill know him under whatever disguise he may
wear!He will find him out and drive him to his own place, so that not a single
one of the accursedshall enter into the city with the blessed. It will be an
Infallible judgment! There is, therefore, goodreasonthat we are prepared for
it. There is no bribing or deceiving the Judge and no avoiding His tribunal.
Oh, be ready to face that eye which will read you through and through!
That division, when it shall take place, let me further beg you to remember,
will be very keenand sharp. Think it over, think it over, for some of you may
have to smart through it. Two men shall be in the field, one shall be takenand
the other left. There were two laborers who workedtogether, they had guided
the same plow and driven the same oxen, but the one shall be upon the right
hand and the other on the left. Two carpenters at the same bench had handled
the same hammer and the same plane, but one shall be takenand the other
left. Two had served in one shop at the same counter with the same goods–and
one shall be takenand the other left–they were familiar acquaintances and old
shop mates, but one shall rejoice to hear the welcome “Come,”andthe other
shall tremble as he receives the dread sentence, “Depart.”
Alas, the division will come closerhome, still. Two womenshall be in one
house–the one shall be takenand the other left. Two womenshall be grinding
at the mill, that is, engagedaboutthe householdduties, grinding the
morning’s breakfastcorn–one shallbe takenand the other left. So you may be
two servants in the same house, cook and housemaid, one savedand the other
lost. Two sisters living togetherunder the same roof, one brought into Glory
and the other castinto shame. Two of you may be dwellers under the same
roof, eating bread at the same table, drinking from the same cup and yet one
of you shall feastat the eternalbanquets and the other shall cry for a drop of
waterto cooltheir burning tongue! You would not like to be separated, but
separatedyou must be.
Alas, there will be a separationstill more painful! Two shall be in one bed, the
one shall be takenand the other left–the husband torn awayfrom the wife–
and the wife takenfrom her husband. Oh, there will be partings, there will be

partings and, consequentlythere will be weeping, there will be weeping at the
Judgement Seatof Christ! Notfor the godly, for in them the glory of their
Lord will swallow up all other thought, but for the Christless, the prayerless,
the graceless. Oh, the wailing of the children, and the wailing of the women,
and the wailing of the husbands, and the wailing of the fathers when their
children are saved, or their parents are saved, or their husbands and wives
are saved–andthey themselves are castout forever!–
“O there will be mourning
Before the Judgement Seat,
When this world is burning
BeneathJehovah’s feet.
Friends and kindred then shall part,
Shall part to meet no more;
Wrath consume the rebel’s heart,
While saints on high adore!”
The separationwill be agony, indeed, to the lost! I could scarcelyhave the
heart to bid a man, “good-bye,” ifI knew that I should never see him again.
The worstwish I could entertain concerning the worstenemy I ever had–
though I do not know that I have one in the world–would not go so far as to
say I wishedI might never see him again. Since I hope I shall be where Jesus
is, I should like to see him, be he who he may, and see him there among the
blessed. But it must not be. It must not be if sinners will not repent of sin if
they persistin rejecting Jesus Christ. Unless you believe in Jesus, the parting
will be keenand cutting, dividing betweenjoints and marrow, tearing asunder
marriage ties and bonds of filial or parental affection–slaying all vain hopes
forever. O impenitent souls, I could weepfor you! If you are linked in blood
relationship with the saints, it will not help you if you die unregenerate!
Though you were bone of eachother’s bone, and flesh of eachother’s flesh,
yet must you be separatedunless you are one with Christ! I entreat you
unregenerate ones to lay this to heart at once and trifle no longer!
That division, dear Friends, remember, will be very wide as well as very keen,
for the division will be such as will be representedin its distance by Heaven
and by Hell–and what a distance is that! The distance betweenGod and
Satan! Betweenhappiness and misery! BetweenGloryand everlasting
contempt! Betweeninfinite joy and boundless sorrow!Betweensongs and
weeping!Betweentriumphs and wailing, feasting and gnashing of teeth! If the
only division would be such as might arise from difference in degrees of
Glory, (if such there is), one might still pine to have the companionship of our
dear ones–butthe difference is betweenHeaven and Hell–and Christ says of it

that there is “a great gulf fixed” so that they that would pass from us to you
cannot and neither can they come to us that would come from there. The
distance will be wide as eternity, the separating gulf will be deep as the abyss
and impassable as Hell.
And, remember, the separationwill be final. There is no flinging a bridge
across thatvast abyss. Damned spirits may look down into that dread gulf,
into the unutterable blackness ofits darkness, but they will never see a hope of
crossing to the land of the blessed. The keyis lost–theycan never come out of
the dungeon of despair. “Forever, forever, forever,” is written upon the chain
which binds the lost spirit! No hope of restorationwas ever indulged by a man
in Hell and it is idle to dream about it now. Of all figments of the imagination,
it has the leastsupport in Scripture. The lost sinner is foreverseparatedfrom
Jesus and from the disciples of Jesus, howevernearakin in the flesh those
disciples may have been to him. Unalterable and eternalis the separation!
Beloved, these are such weighty things that while I dwell upon them I feel far
more inclined to sit down and weepthan to stand up and speak to you. The
theme causes me to feelthe weakness ofmere words and in a measure makes
me lose the powerof expression, forwhat if any of you should be lost forever?
It was a touching thing to me, yesterday, when I saw a Sisterin Christ who
has been my hearer for many years. She told me that she was decided for
Christ by my saying, when I went awaylast time, that perhaps I might never
address you againand might find a grave in a foreign land. I felt that it might
be so at the time I uttered the words, though I am glad that they have not been
fulfilled.
She thought, “Well, he has been preaching to me these many years, and if I
die unconverted, I shall never see him again.” And then it flashed across her
mind, “How much worse to feel that I shall never see the King in His beauty! I
shall never see the Savior!” And she was thus led by the Holy Spirit to give
her heart to Jesus. Perhaps the Lord may use the thought of this separationto
move some of you to say, “I will come to Jesus and I will rest in Him.” O Lord,
my God, grant it may be so, for Jesus'sake!
II. We have spokenabout the division. We will now have a few words about
THE DIVIDER. “He shall separate them, one from another.” Christ Jesus
will be the Divider of the race of men into two parts and this I am glad to
know, because, firstof all, this will be the occasionoflasting, yes, of eternal
joy to all the saints. No child of Godwill ever have a doubt in Heaven, but it is
necessarythat they begin their bliss with a very strong assurance ofDivine
Love, or else, I think, they might.

Unless Godhad ordained the method at which the text hints, I could well
imagine myself in Heaven saying to myself, after I had been there a little
while, “Oh, can it be, can it be that I am here? I do remember the sin of such a
day and the shortcomings of such an hour, and my murmurings, and my
unbelief, and all my departures from my God, and am I here, after all?” I
could imagine, if there had not been the means used to put an end to such a
possibility, my saying, “Surely I am to taste this only for a moment that I may
be driven to my due deserts, after all, that my Hell may be made the more
terrible because I have seenwhat Heaven is, and that my hunger may grow
the more intolerable because I have eaten of the bread of angels.”
If such a fear were possible, behold the answerto it. “He, the Judge, the
Judge, the Judge, Himself, has said, ‘Come, you blessedof My Father.’” That
Judge cannot be mistaken, for He is Jesus the Infallible Sonof God! God
Himself has blessedHis chosenand Jesus tells them so in the most plain
terms–“Come, youblessedof My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for
you.” Since Jesus has decreedthis everlasting happiness, the child of God
cannot doubt throughout eternity! That voice will sound forever in his ears,
sweeterthan music of flute or harp or dulcimer! “Come, you blessedof My
Father.” Why, it will be the very basis of the bliss of Heaven to think, “Jesus
bade me come. Who shall ask me the question, ‘How came you in here?’ Did
not He admit me? Who shall question my right to be here? Did not He say,
‘Come, you blessedof My Father’?”
Do you not see that it is a choice and comforting fact that we shall not divide
ourselves at the last, nor shall an angeldo it who might err, but the Divider
will be Jesus, Himself, the Son of God! And, therefore, the Glory which He
metes out to us will be most surely ours and we may enjoy it without fear. But
then, note on the other hand, that this will increase the terror of the lost, that
Christ will divide them. Christ, full of infinite Love, would He destroy a sinner
unless it must be! He that would have savedJerusalemand wept because it
must be destroyed! The guilty city was resolvedto perish, but as her Lord
pronounced the sentence, He wept! When I hear of a judge putting on the
black cap to condemn a man, I like to read in the papers, “The judge’s voice
faltered and he was evidently unable to suppress his emotion as he uttered the
sentence ofdeath.”
What right-minded man could be otherwise than moved when compelledto
deliver his fellow creature to the gallows? Butno judge on earth has such
compassionfor his fellow man as Jesus has for sinners! And when it comes to
this, that He says, “I must do it, I must condemn you,” then, Sinner, it must be
so, indeed! When Incarnate Love says, “Depart, you cursed,” you must be

cursed with an emphasis. You must be infamous beings, indeed, when He,
whose lips drop blessings as lilies drop sweet-smelling myrrh–when He calls
you so!There must be something very horrible about you that He should bid
you, “depart.” And, indeed, there is an abominable thing in you, for unbelief
in God is the most horrible thing, even in Hell!
Not to believe that God is Love is worthy of the utmost condemnation. You
will have to say, if you are lost, “I was condemned by the most loving Judge
that ever satupon a judgement seat. The Christ that died lifted His pierced
hands at the very moment when He said, ‘Depart, you cursed!’” Yet there is
something more, though this might be enough. If you should be lost, as God
forbid you should, it will infinitely add to your terror to know that you were
condemned by One who is infinitely Just. You will feelthat the Christ who
condemned you was the holiest of Men, in whom was no sin and, besides that,
He is pure and perfect God, so that you will not be able to quibble at the
sentence. Neitherwill there be any question about a new trial–your own
consciencewillmake you feel that the decisionis final, for it is just–and you
will be too wellassuredof its reality and certainty, for He who will pronounce
that sentence is the God of Truth. He said, “I am the way and the truth.” You
would not have Him for the way, but you will find Him to be “the truth.” And
when He pronounces you cursed, cursedyou will be beyond all question!
Once more, if He that condemns you is the Christ of God, you will know that
He has power to carry out the sentence, forall poweris given unto Him in
Heaven and in earth, and the government shall be upon His shoulders. And if
He says, “Departinto everlasting fire,” into that fire you must go. If He
declares that the fire shall never be quenched, depend upon it, it will burn on
forever. And if He decrees thatthe worm shall never die, that worm will live
and gnaw to all eternity, for He who gives forth the sentence is able to make it
good. Remember how He said, “Verily, verily, I sayunto you, Heaven and
earth shall pass away, but My Word shall never pass away”? Firmerthan the
rocks shallstand the irrevocable decree–“theseshallgo awayinto everlasting
punishment and the righteous into life eternal.” My soultrembles while I thus
proclaim Jesus as the Judge whose awfulvoice divides the sinners from the
saints.
III. Lend me your ears but for a minute or two longer, while I notice, in the
third place, THE RULE OF THE DIVISION. Did you notice where the
division is made? It is very wonderful to notice–verywonderful, indeed! The
greatdivision betweenthe sons of men is Christ. Here are the sheep–there are
the goats. Whatseparatesthem? Christ! He is the center! There is no great

barrier setup, as it were, on that lasttremendous day, but He, Himself is the
division. He shall set the sheepon His right hand and the goats on His left.
Now, that which parts us tonight into two portions is our relationship to Jesus
Christ. On which side of Christ are you, tonight? I want you to question
yourselves about that. If you are on His right hand, you are among His people.
If you are not with Him, you are againstHim, and so are on His left hand.
That which parts the saint and the sinner is Christ. The moment a sinner
comes to Christ he passes overto the other side and is numbered with the
saints. This is the realpoint of separation. Christ stands betweenthe Believers
and the unbelievers, and marks the boundary of eachclass. WhenAaron
stoodbetweenthe living and the dead swinging the censerfull of incense, what
separatedthe dead from the living? Remember the scene before you answer
the question.
There they lie! There they lie, I say, strickenwith pestilence!The unseen
avengerhas slain them in heaps. But here are the living, rejoicing and safe.
What separates them? The priest standing there with the censer!Even thus,
our greatHigh Prieststands, at this moment, betweenthe living and the dead,
while the incense of His merits ascends before Godand makes the most real
dividing wall betweendead sinners and those who are alive unto God by Jesus
Christ. Christ is the Divider! Christ is, Himself, the Division. But what is the
rule by which He separates the people? The rule of the division is, first,
actions. Actions!Did you notice that? He says nothing about words. He dwells
upon deeds of mercy, “I was hungry and you gave Me meat. I was thirsty and
you gave Me drink. I was nakedand you clothed Me.” These are all actions.
Now, perhaps you would have liked the Judge to have said, “You were in the
habit of singing hymns out of ‘Our Own Hymn Book.’You were known to
talk very sweetlyabout Me and call Me, Masterand Lord. You were
accustomedto sit at the Communion Table.” Nota word is said about these
things! No, nor is anything said about ceremonialactions. He does not say,
“You used to bow before the crucifix. You reverently stood up at one part of
the service and knelt at another. You walkedround the Church singing the
processionalhymn.” Nothing is said about these performances, only common
actions are noticed–“Iwas hungry and you gave Me meat. I was thirsty and
you gave Me drink.” These are all commonplace matters. Actions will be the
greatrule at the Last Judgment.
I am not preaching, now, contrary to the Gospel, but only repeating in other
words what our Lord, Himself, has said. “We shall give an accountfor the
deeds done in the body, whether they are good, or whether they are evil,” is
the statement, not of the Law, but of the New Testamentof our Lord and

Savior Jesus Christ!Those that have done evil shall go awayinto eternal
punishment. Are we, then, saved by our works? Byno means! Yet our works
are the evidences of our being saved–andGrace will bring out these evidences
in our lives if we possessthem. A Magistrate judges by the actions as proved
upon evidence. It is true he may and will have respectto the motive which
urged the action, but first of all the actions, themselves, must be before him in
evidence. And so here the King mentions the actions that were done.
Let us notice that the actions which were the rule of judgement were, all of
them, actions about Christ. I want you to carefully note this. The Lord says, “I
was hungry and you gave Me meat. I was thirsty and you gave Me drink. I
was sick and you visited Me.” This summary is made up of actions about
Christ. I will, therefore, earnestlyput this question to eachof you–What
actions have you ever done in reference to Jesus? “Iam a Church member,”
says one. I will not hearabout that just now, because the Judge will not say
anything about it. I am glad you are an avoweddisciple, if you are honestly so,
but do your actions prove that you are really so? Thatis the question. Have
you ever done anything for Christ? Have you ever given anything to Christ?
Could Christ say to you, “I was hungry and you gave Me meat. I was thirsty
and you gave Me drink”? Now, I know some professors ofwhom I fear that
Jesus Christ could not speak thus, for He cannotspeak that which is not true.
Their pockets are hermetically sealed, like tins of Australian meat–eventhe
smell of their money never reaches Christ’s poor. Give meat to a hungry
man? Not they! Let him go to the parish. Give clothes to a nakedman? Not
they! What do we pay taxes for? The idea of giving anything to another, or
doing anything for another, without getting paid for it or praised for it, seems
to them to be out of all character!
Now, selfishness is as much opposedto the spirit of the Gospelas the cold of
the northern regionis to the warmth of the sun. If the sun of Christ’s love has
shone into your heart, you will love others and you will show your love to
others by desiring to do them goodin all sorts of ways. And you will do it for
Christ’s sake–forChrist’s sake–sothat when He comes, He will be able to say,
“I was hungry and you gave Me meat. I was thirsty and you gave Me drink. I
was sick and you visited Me. I was in prison under reproachand you came
unto Me.” What have your actions been with regardto Christ? I pray you,
Brothers and Sisters, who are one with me in the professionof allegianceto
Christ, judge yourselves by your actions with regard to Him, as I, also, will
judge myself.
Now, notice that Christ, as it were, inferentially, tells us that the actions which
will be mentioned at the JudgementDay, as the proof of our being the blessed

of the Lord, spring from the Grace ofGod, for He says, “You blessedof My
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from before the foundations of
the world.” They fed the hungry, but SovereignGrace had first fed them.
They clothed the naked, but Infinite Love first clothed them. They went to the
prison, but Free Grace had first setthem free from a worse prison. They
visited the sick, but the GoodPhysician, in His Infinite Mercy, first came and
visited them!
They evidently had no idea that there was anything meritorious in what they
did. They had never dreamed of being rewarded for it. When they stand
before the Judgement Seat, the bare idea of there being any excellence in what
they have done will be new to the saints, for they have formed a very low
estimate of their own performances–andwhatthey have done seems to them
too faulty to be commended. The saints fed the hungry and clothed the naked
because it gave them much pleasure to do so. They did it because they could
not help doing it–their new nature impelled them to it. They did it because it
was their delight to do goodand was as much their element as water for a fish
or the air for a bird! They did goodfor Christ’s sake, becauseit is the sweetest
thing in the world to do anything for Jesus.
Why is it that a wife is so kind to her husband? Becauseit is her duty, you say.
All very well, but the real reasonis because she loves him so intensely. Why is
a mother so careful over her baby? Is there any rule or actof Parliament
commanding mothers to be fond of their little ones? No, there is no act of
Parliament. There is an act of God in the bosom, somewhere, passedin the
chamber of the heart, and the mother cannot but be kind. Now, when the
Lord puts a new nature into us and makes us one with Jesus Christ, we cannot
help loving His people! And, seeking the goodof our fellow men and the Lord
Jesus Christ will be, at the Last Day, an evidence that there was love in the
heart, because love was shownby your actions. May God grant that when the
Judge of all shall come, we may be found renewedin heart and full of love
through the powerof His Holy Spirit.
“Oh,” says one, “I wish I had that renewedheart which would produce such
actions.” Jesuscangive it to you! You will always live for self in some sense or
other until you are saved–eventhe most philanthropic who have loved their
fellow creatures best, without religion–have generallysought their own
esteem. And the verse is true concerning the praise of our fellow creatures–
“The proud, to gain it, toils on toils endure;
The modest shun it but to make it sure.”

But when you receive a new heart you will not live for the approbation of your
fellow men. Then your alms will be done in secretand you will not let your left
hand know what your right hand does. Then, when you do your kindnesses,it
will not be that others may publish abroadthe announcement that you have
visited the sick and clothedthe naked, but your deeds will be done behind the
door and in the corner, where none shall know of them but your God and the
grateful recipients of your bounty.
You will quietly put into the treasury the two mites that make a farthing and
think yourself unobserved, but One who sits over against the treasury, who
knows your heart, will take goodnote of it. Your Lord will acceptwhat you do
because you do it out of love to Him–and at the Last GreatDay, while you
blush to hearit, He will tell it to the angels and to the listening hosts of earth
and Heaven–andswing wide the gates ofimmortal bliss and let you in,
according to the promise of His Grace. Godbless you, Beloved, for Jesus'
sake. Amen. PORTION OF SCRIPTUREREAD BEFORESERMON–
Matthew 25.HYMNS FROM “OUR OWN HYMN BOOK”–846, 362, 360.
Dr. Jack L. Arnold Lesson #12
WHEN CHRIST JUDGE THE GENTILES
Matthew 25:31-46
I. INTRODUCTION
1. As we come to the end of the Olivet Discourse,we feelthat something is
missing, not all the pieces of the puzzle have fit together. So far in this
discourse Christ has given much information concerning the future of
the Jews. He has given some subtle hints about the Church but, up to
this point, He has said nothing about the future of the Gentiles and their
relationship to the Jews. NOTE:At the beginning of the Olivet
Discourse,Christ told His disciples who were then Jews, that Jerusalem
and the Temple would be over run by Gentiles -- this happened in 70
A.D. when Titus and the Roman armies captured Jerusalem -- and it
would be only natural to give some explanation of God’s plan for the
Gentiles.
2. This sectionon the Gentiles and their judgment before God is necessary
because 1)Israel’s enemies must be put down and the subjugation of the
Gentiles is the final step in God’s program for Israel;2) Gentiles are to
be judged on their treatment of the Jews, and3) the future judgment of

Gentiles determines who will share the blessings of the millennial
kingdom with Israel.
II. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE JUDGMENT OF THE GENTILES
-- Matthew 25:31-33
1. “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels
with him,” -- There is a definite break in thought at 25:31 which
indicates Christ is going to speak on some other subject. Since 24:42,
Christ has been speaking in parables but now He drops the use of
parables and takes up the simple narrative. He does this because He is
going to speak about the judgment of Gentiles at the secondadvent of
Christ. The parables dealt with the importance of the Church watching
for the any moment return of Christ for the Church at the Rapture that
will occurbefore the Tribulation period begins. But this sectionis
dealing with the secondadvent when Christ “shall come in His glory.”
NOTE:The time of this judgment of Gentiles is put at the second
advent of Christ when He shall make a visible manifestationof Himself
in complete glory to all the inhabitants of the earth. He will come in
glory, not in humility as He did in His first advent (Rev. 1:7). Christ will
be accompaniedby angels to aid Him in the judgment of men.
2. “Then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory” -- The place of this
judgment is on earth, for this throne is none other than the throne that
was promised to David, upon which one of Davis’s sons would sit to
reign over David’s nation, kingdom and land (II Sam. 7:16). At the
secondadvent, Christ will come to reign as the SovereignOne over the
millennial kingdom.
3. “And before him shall be gatheredall nations (Gentiles):” -- Many have
thought that Christ will actually judge nations basedon this verse but
the Greek wordfor “nations” is ethne which should be translated
Gentiles. This then, is a judgment of individual Gentiles, not national
entities. God never judges eternally whole nations but does eternally
judge individuals for the scriptures teachpersonalaccountability to
God. This then is the judgment of Gentiles, the non-Jewishpeoples of
the earth, the last generationof living Gentiles before the secondadvent
of Christ (Joel3:1, 2; Zech 14:1-3). NOTE:This is a judgment upon
living Gentiles, who have not been exterminated through the wars and
pestilences and judgments of the Tribulation period. At the second
advent, multiple millions will be brought into judgment before the King
who sits upon David’s throne as the SovereignOne.

4. “And he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth
his sheepfrom the goats.” -- There will be a separationof these living
Gentiles to determine who shall enter into Christ’s earthly kingdom
which the Son of Man will establish.
5. “And he shall setthe sheepon his right hand, but the goats on the left.”
-- Without speaking a word, the King will separate allGentiles into two
groups -- those on the right hand, the privileged place, are the sheep;
those on the left hand, the place of disfavor, are the goats. The sheepare
true believers and have the place of approval; the goats are unbelievers
and have the place of rejection.
III. BELIEVING GENTILES REWARDED ACCORDING TO THEIR
WORKS
-- Matthew 25:34-40
1. “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed
of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world (earth):” -- This “kingdom” is the earthly
kingdom of Christ, for the meaning of “world” is the earth. It has been
God’s plan to establisha kingdom over this world ever since the Garden
of Eden and this will be accomplishedat the secondadvent of Christ.
NOTE:This kingdom is only for the saved. No unsaved persons will be
receivedinto the earthly kingdom. Only those who have been “born
again,” only those who have receivedJesus Christ as personalLord and
Savior, will be acceptedinto the earthly millennial kingdom. NOTE:
The kingdom is prepared for certain ones from the beginning. Who are
these ones? They are the electof God; those who personally trust Christ
as Lord and Savior.
2. “ForI was an hungered, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye
gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye
clothes me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came
unto me.” -- These believing Gentiles will meet the needs of Christ in the
Tribulation period. They will actually minister to Christ and this will
give them entrance into the kingdom.
3. “Then shall the righteous answerhim, saying, Lord, when saw we thee
an hungered, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw
we thee stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothes thee? Or when
saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?” -- The believing
Gentile sheepwill be somewhatconfusedfor all will not remember
personally ministering to Christ in the Tribulation period. NOTE:

These believers are call righteous for they are righteous in Christ and
have righteous acts.
4. “And the King shall answerand say unto them, Verily I say unto you,
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the leastof these my brethren, ye have
done it unto me.”
5. The first problem is to determine who the “my brethren” are.
Some think it refers to any believers in need during the
Tribulation period. However, it is better to getmore specific and
say “my brethren” refers to the Jews, forChrist, according to the
flesh, was a son of Abraham and was a Jew. These are believing
Jews during the Tribulation and probably can be narrowed down
to the 144,000evangelistswho will preachthe gospelofthe
kingdom with reverence during this period. These converted
Jewishevangelists willnot bow their knee to Anti-Christ and will
be persecutedterribly. When they go from city to city, to
announce salvation through the shed blood of Christ and to warn
that Jesus Christ is coming back to earth to judge, there will be
some Gentile individuals who will hear, who will examine the
scriptures to see if these things are true.
They will be convinced that the message thatthese preachers bring is the
truth of God and will acceptChrist as Lord and Savior. These Gentile
believers will suffer horribly for their faith. Yet these Gentile believers will
risk their lives to help the Jewishevangelists. Theywill share the basic
necessitiesoflife with the 144,000.Whenthe evangelists are arrestedthese
believing Gentiles will go to the prisons to visit them.
1. The secondproblem is how did these believing Gentiles minister
unto Christ? Christ says, “As ye have done it unto one of the least
of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Jesus Christ is
one with His spiritual people and to care for them is to care for
Him. If you help them, you help Him. If you ignore them, you
ignore Him. These believing Gentiles acceptedthe message of
Christ and acceptChrist’s messengers andby helping them they
actually minister to Christ.
2. The third problem is theological, forthe text says that Gentile
believers are acceptedinto the kingdom according to their works.
Is this salvationby goodworks? No!They are acceptedinto the
kingdom because they receive the message ofthe gospeland prove
the genuineness oftheir faith by the works they do for those who

brought the gospelto them. These men are not savedby works,
for no person in history has been savedby works. But these men
by works, demonstrate that they have acceptedChrist. NOTE:
Judgment in the Bible is always on the basis of what faith
produces and what unbelief produces. You cannot see faith but
you cansee works, and works are a proof of real faith. In this
context, a practical demonstrationof love is the proof of real
salvation, for these believing Gentiles met the needs of the Jewish
evangelists. The ultimate evidence of a realbeliever is not his
creed, or his faith or his Bible knowledge but his concernto show
love.
IV. UNBELIEVING GENTILES JUDGED ACCORDINGTO THEIR
WORKS -- Matthew 25:41-46
1. “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Departfrom me, ye
cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” --
The unbelieving Gentiles are eternally separatedfrom Christ and
placed under the eternal curse of God. Why? Becausetheydid not trust
Jesus Christ, who is the only way to the Father. NOTE:Christ says that
hell is a real place but originally it was prepared only for the devil and
his angels but those who rejectChrist align themselves with Satan and
his program, and, therefore, deserve the same kind of punishment in
eternity.
2. “ForI was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye
gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and
ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.” -- The
Lord says that the goats had a chance to minister to Him as the sheep
ministered to those whom He sent, but they will rejectthe ministers of
the gospelbecausethey rejectthe gospelthey proclaim.
3. “Then shall they also answerhim, saying, Lord, when saw we thee and
hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and
did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answerthem, saying, Verily I
say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the leastof these, ye
did it not to me.” -- These unbelieving Gentiles will plead ignorance of
their lack of goodworks towards the Jewishevangelists, but it will be
obvious that they rejectedtheir messageofJesus Christ.
4. “And these shall go awayinto everlasting punishment: but the righteous
into life eternal.” -- The unbelievers are confined to everlasting
punishment but the righteous are destined to eternallife. NOTE:It is

Christ who speaks ofeverlasting punishment, so best we listen when he
speaks aboutit.
V. CONCLUSION
1. Christ is the Judge of all men. There is no human being ever born who
will not pass under the judgment of the Son of God. He will acceptinto
His kingdom those who have trusted Him as Lord and Savior. He will
rejectfrom His kingdom those who do not own Him as Lord and Savior.
All men must meet Jesus Christat one of two places:they must meet
Him at the cross as Savior, or they must meet Him on a throne as Judge.
2. Those who receive Christ as Lord and Saviorhave entrance into eternal
life and into the earthly kingdom. To receive Christ gives one entrance
into the millennial kingdom on earth but this also includes entrance into
the eternalkingdom, for the earthly kingdom will be offered up by
Christ to the Father and it will become part of the eternal kingdom.
I want to ask eachone of you just one question this morning. At this very
moment, is Christ your Judge or your Savior? Your eternal destiny hangs on
your answer!
Matthew 25:31-46 4-2-17 MercyMinistry I. Slide1 Announce: A.
Slide2 HolocaustMemorialDay: Sun April 23. Murr TownSquare Park.
1:15-5pm. Steve Wilson B. Slide3 Empoweredto Connect, Live Simulcast:
This Fri/Sat here at CM. Registeronline. C. Slide4 Sun Night of Prayer:
Tonight 6:30-7:30pm. Agape room. D. Prayer: Lar doing well in Iraq, feeding
folks with Partners.
II. Slide5,6 Intro: sheep& goatjudgment A. Slide7 Jesus has been talking
about, How to wait for the end. How to wait for His return. B. Slide8 Timing:
The Millennium is sandwichedbetween 2 bookends of Judgment. 1. This
judgment of the Gentile Nations are at the beginning of the Mill. 2. The White
Throne Judgment is after the Mill. a) Prov.10:30 The righteous will never be
removed, but the wickedwill not inhabit the earth C. Slide9 Nearly all flocks
in the Eastconsistof sheepand goats, forboth are needed. White sheep
supply the woolfor clothing and goats supply the hair for tents, bags and
ropes. Both first family with milk which is made into butter and cheese, the
chief food.
III. Slide10 MERCYMINISTRY(31-46)A.Slide11 So we have The Separator
(31) The Saviorhimself will occupythis role. The Separation(32,33)The goats

(lost people) will be placedon his left hand. And the sheep(saved people) on
his right hand. And The Separated (34-46). 1. The Sheepwill be rewarded. a)
The contents (34) They will receive the Kingdom, prepared for them from the
foundation of the world. The cause (35,36)It is due to their mercy ministry in
feeding, clothing, caring for, and even assisting Jesusin prison. The confusion
(37-39)The saved asked, whenall this took place? The clarification(40) Jesus
says it’s when they ministered to others, they ministered to him. 2. The Goats
will be punished.
1
a) The contents (41) eternal hell. The cause (42,43) they did not minister to
Jesus. The confusion(44) the unsaved ask whenit was that they did not
minister to Jesus. The clarification(45,46)Jesus says,becausethey did not
minister to others, they did not minister to him.1
B. Slide12 The nations - or the Gentiles. 1. People, other than Jews, who have
lived through the Tribulation period. 2. They will be judged individually, not
as national groups. 3. They are described as a mingling of sheep/goats,which
the Lord will separate. a)The basis of their entrance is seenin their actions,
for they provided food, drink, clothing, and care for the King. 4. There will
not be sheepnations and goatnations, but sheepseparatedfrom the goats in
every nation. 5. The sheepwill have life eternal; the goats will go awayinto
eternal punishment
C. Slide13 Note:both the sheep and goats were surprised by Jesus’s words. 1.
They were not surprised at the place assignedthem, but at the reasonJesus
gives. Both didn’t realize that when they did these things (or didn’t), that they
were doing (or not doing) them onto Jesus. 2. Jesus identifies with His people.
Saul, Saul, why do you persecute ME?
D. The expressionMy brethren must refer to a 3rd group that is neither sheep
nor goats. 1. Mostcommentators saythis must be the Jews in distress during
the Tribulation period. It is clearthat any believing Jew will have a difficult
time surviving during this time period. 2. The forces of the world dictator will
be doing everything possible to exterminate all Jews. 3. A Gentile going out of
his wayto assista Jew in the Tribulation will mean that Gentile has become a
believer in Jesus Christ during the Tribulation. By such
2
1 The Outline Bible Outline, Mt.25:31-46
a stand and action, a believing Gentile will put his life in jeopardy. His works
will not save him; but his works will revealthat he is redeemed. 4. So, they

will be enemies of the Antichrist. They would suffer greatpersecution. They
would not be able to buy or sell, and thus would be hungry. They would flee
from their homes (Mt.24:15-21)andwould need places to stay. Without jobs
and without the mark of the beast, they could not secure clothing and would
be naked. Many would be castinto prison. a) Slide14 Jesus has already
defined bro’s & sis’s in the Lord in Mt.12:49,50 Jesus stretchedout His hand
toward His disciples & said, Here are My mother & My brothers! For
whoeverdoes the will of My Father in heaven is My brother / sister/ mother b)
Jesus’1/2 bro James said, If a brother or sisteris naked and destitute of daily
food, and one of you says to them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but
you do not give them the things which are neededfor the body, what does it
profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 2:15-17 5.
So are we only to show Mercyto Believers? No way. a) Slide15 Lk.6:27-36 But
to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies!Do goodto those who
hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If
someone slaps you on one cheek, offerthe other cheek also. If someone
demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks;and
when things are taken awayfrom you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to
others as you would like them to do to you. Slide16 32 “If you love only those
who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who
love them! 33 And if you do goodonly to those who do goodto you, why
should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money
only to those who can repay you, why should you getcredit? Even sinners will
lend to other sinners for a full return. 35 “Love your enemies!Do goodto
them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your rewardfrom
heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most
High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be
compassionate, justas your Fatheris compassionate.(1)So, yes help out
brothers & sisters in the family...but if you only help out family, you are no
better than an unbeliever. 3
6. Slide17 So Jesus is all about MercyMinistry...To the believer (our spiritual
family) and To the unbeliever (our human family).
E.He invites the sheepinto His kingdom because oftheir ministry to Him on
earth. 1. They had fed Him. QuenchedHis thirst. Gave Him a room when He
was homeless. Nursedhim back to health when He was sick. Wentand visited
him while he was in a correctionalfacility. 2. Slide18 MSG, whenever you
did one of these things to someone overlookedor ignored, that was me - you
did it to me. a) Slide19 Author, Jo Saxton said, Our theologyimpacts our
anthropology and our anthropology mandates our sociology. Or, Our

theology/understanding of God impacts our anthropology/ understanding of
man and our anthropology mandates our sociology/understanding of society.
[that aggregate ofpeople living in a community]
F. (35,36)ForI was hungry (& T,S,N,S,P) - The actions describedreflect
obedience to the command to love one’s neighbor - and thereby demonstrate
love for God, as well. G. (40)one of the leastof these - Jesus’remarks here
call for Christian care to reachall the way to the bottom of the social
structure, thus inverting earthly values. 1. Often times when we see someone
who is hungry, clothes are tattered, or are in need of shelter, and we tend to
label them instead of loving them. We criticize them instead of caring for
them. We resent & run from them instead of reacting & responding to them.
H. The world is sick and tired of hearing of the love of Jesus, they want to see
it. Craig GroeschelI. Christian kindness is to know no limits of race or class,
it is to flow unceasingly& naturally, from a heart in complete harmony w/the
will of God. J. What’s our point? What’s our take away? What are we
supposedto know, feel, do? K. Slide20,21Let me show an example. Starling
Murmuration. 1. What it is: it’s a collective motion of a large number of
birds, in this case starlings.
4
2. How it works:there is not 1 leader. It’s a collective movement. Eachbird
modifies its direction relative to the 6 or 7 directly surrounding it. It’s a
beautiful demonstration of unity. a) A humans reactiontime is usually
between150-250milliseconds. [commercial. hair/arm] b) A starlings reaction
time is around 30 msec. If startled...downto 15msec!3. How it should be a
picture of the church? L. My dream...is a Murrieta Murmuration! 1. I see our
church moving in murmuration, so connectedwith those around us that when
we see someone next to us moving in the direction of displaying love, we’ll
move right with them. When they see us move towards compassion, they’ll
move with us. 2. This also answers whywe do church. Church can’t be about
getting a greatsermon or greatworship...ifso...we’dall stayhome & go online
& choose ourfav preacher& downloadhis/her sermons & listen to them all
day. We’d then listen to the bestmusic put out by the most talented christian
artists for our listening pleasure. See, these brick & mortar buildings are
about doing ministry as a family. It’s living out the one another scriptures. M.
My dream...is a Murrieta Murmuration - where we as a church body...see,
feel, watch, & vibe with the rhythm & movement of the body of Christ
representedhere. 1. Where even when the callcomes to help others to go to
camp, you give generously[7 3rd-5th grade retreat. 13 Mid Sch. 9 HS. 8
Ladies formerly traffickedfrom Gen Hope to women’s retreat. $2800 total,

for single ladies & others ladies, paying 1/2 or whole] N. My dream...is a
Murrieta Murmuration. 1. Where our church hears of wars & runs towards
them to heal the wounded or feed the famished. Like Larry in Iraq w/Partners
& FBR helping those fleeing ISIS. Bringing with him over $24,000becauseof
your generosity. 2. Where our church hears of the hungry & thirsty & runs
towards them to dig wells like water4abillion& to feed the starving like MP,
HEF & 5 Loaves. 3. Where our church hears of the stranger/ the foreigner/
the refugee & runs towards them to make them feel welcome. Like Andrew
Lacassewho 5
befriended a Burmese pastorin SD who is doing an outreachon Easter&
needed hygiene supplies for localrefugees...thathe helped. Like those in our
church helping & befriending a localrefugee family. 4. Where our church
finds our Muslim neighbors who have been vilified by so many in our country
& befriends them and build bridges insteadof walls. Like Dave & Michelle
Madden & their friends who have been doing this for a few years now. 5.
Where our church finds those with tattered clothes & runs to cloth them. Like
you partnering w/HEF who will be handing out suits for our Haitian pastors.
6. Where our church hears of those incarcerated& weeklygoes to SW
DetentionCenter to build up, teach, & befriend. Like Tony Murillo & his
team has for 20+ years. 7. Where our church hears of those sick & runs to
visit them, listen to them, pray for them, lay hands on them. Like so many of
you just being the body of Christ. a) But really...don’t make this a check list.
Jesus didn’t mean just these 6 categories.It’s being sensitive to anyone &
everyone around you to help in meeting their needs. A listening ear. Giving
from your wealth. A sweetprayer for them. A sensitivity to express. A heart of
compassion. a soul filled with empathy. O. Slide22 My dream...is a Murrieta
Murmuration. 1. WHY? Becauseourstory tells us...it’s Jesus who is digging
in the trash for food. It’s Jesus who is drinking unclean water. It’s Jesus who
is the stranger/the foreigner/the refugee. It’s Jesus who has just 1 pair of
pants. It’s Jesus who is standing on the streetcorner with the offensive odor
holding a cardboard sign. It’s Jesus who you’re sitting there listening to in the
S/W jail. 2. Slide23 Jesus is communicating to us this morning church...This is
what it is To Know ME. To Love Me. To Worship Me. 3. The only difference
here is what they did...or didn’t do...to ME! 4. Slide24 This is how we waitfor
the end. This is how to wait for His return.

Matthew 25:31-46: “Jesus Tells His Disciples About the Sheep And Goats
Judgment At The End Times
”
by
Jim Bomkamp
Back BibleStudies HomePage
1. INTRO:
1.1. In our laststudy we lookedat the Parable of the Talents which Jesus
taught His disciples
1.1.1. We saw that Jesus taught His disciples this parable after He had in
chapter 24 delivered to them His Olivett Discourse in which He answeredthe
three questions His disciples askedHim:
1.1.1.1.Whenwill these things (the destructionof Herod’s temple) be?
1.1.1.2.Whatwill be the sign of Your coming? (the SecondComing of Christ,
not the Rapture of the church)
1.1.1.3.Whatwill be the sign of the end of the Age? (when Christ returns to
setup His millennial reign upon the earth)
1.1.2. Jesushad then taught His disciples in the latter part of chapter 24 about
the importance of ‘being ready’ for His return, which means to be living each
day obediently before the Lord as if He might return that very day
1.1.3. Then, at the beginning of chapter 25 Jesus taught His disciples the
Parable of the TenVirgins which againshowedthe importance of being ready
in heart for the Lord (with the spare oil which the virgin maidservants
brought along with them symbolic of the Holy Spirit and of improving
ourselves spiritually eachday as we wait in anticipation of the Lord’s return).
1.1.4. Finally, Jesus taught the Parable of the Talents which taught the truth
that as we Christians are seeking to be ready for the Lord’s return to occurat
any moment, we must be people who are being responsible with all of the stuff
that the Lord has brought into our lives and made us stewards of(it was the

goodand faithful stewards who entered into eternal life, but the stewardwho
had no goodworks who ended up in hell)
1.2. In today’s study we will look at Jesus’teaching about the ‘Sheepand
Goats Judgment’
1.2.1. We will see that this judgment will occur at the conclusionof the 7 Year
Tribulation of the book of Revelation
1.2.2. We will see that the ones who have become Christians during the
Tribulation, and thus are Christ’s sheep, will enter into His Millennial
Kingdom, but the ones who have resistedChrist throughout the Tribulation,
and thus are not Christ’s sheepbut rather goats, they will be castinto eternal
hell
2. VS 25:31-32 - “31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the
angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 “And all the
nations will be gatheredbefore Him; and He will separate them from one
another, as the shepherd separatesthe sheepfrom the goats.””- Jesus teaches
His disciples about the SheepAnd Goats Judgment
2.1. Here in these verses and the ones that follow Jesus begins to teachHis
disciples about another judgment, one which they have never heard of, the
judgment that will occurwhen Jesus separatesthe sheepfrom the goats.
2.2. The questions that must be askedconcerning these verses are, ‘Which
judgment is this which Jesus is teaching His disciples about?’, and, ‘When will
this judgment occur?’
2.2.1. This is not the judgment of believers which we lookedat lastweek, the
judgment that is called the ‘Bema SeatJudgment’.
2.2.1.1.This is the judgment which is referencedto in severalverses in the New
Testament, including 2 Cor. 5:10, “10 Forwe must all appear before the
judgment seatof Christ, that eachone may be recompensedfor his deeds in
the body, according to what he has done, whether goodor bad.”

2.2.1.2.This is the same judgment referencedby the apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 3
where he taught that the day would revealeachman’s works for they would
be tried with fire.
2.2.1.3.This is a judgment that is just for the church, and it is a judgment of
rewards, not a judgment of condemnation.
2.2.1.4.Itappears that this judgment will occurin heaven right after the
Rapture of the church, and it will occuralong with the Marriage Supper of
the Lamb.
2.2.2. This is not the judgment of non-believers which is called, ‘The Great
White Throne Judgment’, and is mentioned in the book of Revelation.
2.2.2.1.Wereadabout this judgment in Rev. 20:11-15, “11 And I saw a great
white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earthand heaven
fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great
and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and
another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged
from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up
the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them
according to their deeds. 14 And death and Hades were thrown into the lake
of fire. This is the seconddeath, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was
not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
2.2.2.2.This judgment is precededby the resurrectionof the dead of everyone
who is left in Hades, the place of torments which is now reservedfor those
who are not God’s people.
2.2.2.3.Itis a judgment of condemnation, for everyone who appears before the
throne of Christ at this judgment is thrown into the Lake of Fire that burns
for eternity.
2.2.3. I believe that this judgment will occurright at the end of the 7 Year
Tribulation of the book of Revelation, and it will be a judgment of the people
who are alive at that time, some of whom have come to Christ during the
Tribulation (all who are savedbefore the Tribulation begins will be takenup
in the air to be with Christ for eternity at the Rapture of the Church) and thus
are His sheep, and everyone else who is a goat.
2.2.3.1.InDaniel12:11-13, we readthat Danielspoke of events that would
occurafter the incident of the Abomination of Desolation, whichis that event

that occurs right in the middle of the 7 Year Tribulation Periodwhen the
Beast(Antichrist) takes his seatin the temple to be worshipped, and in those
verses Danielspeaks oftwo time periods that will occurafter that point, and
he says that those will be blessedwho attain to the 1.335 days,
“11 “And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished, and the
abomination of desolationis set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 “How blessed
is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!13 “But as for you, go
your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your
allotted portion at the end of the age.””
2.2.3.1.1.1,290days is approx. 3 ½ years in duration, however1,335 days is
3.66 years, which means that the personwho is blessedis one who makes it not
only through the Tribulation alive, but also who makes it another .16 of a
year. I believe strongly that this disparity (45 days) is the amount of time that
this Sheepand Goats Judgment will take to complete. The person who attains
to the 1,335 is one of Christ’s sheepwho will then begin to live upon the earth
in a physical life during Christ’s Millennial Reign.
3. VS 25:33 - “33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats onthe
left.” - Jesus tells His disciples that the sheepwill go to His right, but the goats
to His left
3.1. The ‘right hand’ of any ruler was consideredto be a place of honor, and
thus we see in the scripture that Christ ascendedup to the ‘right hand’ of God
in heaven.
3.1.1. Thosewho have come to Christ during the Tribulation will be put at the
place of honor before God and come and live in His Millennial Kingdom.
3.1.2. Thosewho have chosento rejectChrist all throughout the Tribulation,
and who have receivedthe Mark of the Beast, will be castinto hell during this
Sheepand Goats Judgment.
4. VS 25:34-40 - “34 “Thenthe King will sayto those on His right, ‘Come, you
who are blessedof My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world. 35 ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to
eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited
Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in
prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 “Thenthe righteous will answerHim, saying,
‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You
drink? 38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked,

and clothe You? 39 ‘And when did we see You sick, orin prison, and come to
You?’ 40 “And the King will answerand say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to
the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the leastof
them, you did it to Me.’”” - Jesus tells His disciples that the king will say to
the sheepon his right hand that they are to inherit his kingdom
4.1. The sheep who go to the king’s right hand are called‘blessedof My
Father’, for these are the children of God, Christians who have become such
during the 7 Year Tribulation of the book of Revelation.
4.2. The sheep will also ‘inherit the kingdom’, that is, they will be those who
will live upon the earth during the Millennial Reign of Christ upon the earth.
4.3. Jesus so relates to His people that everything that is done goodor bad to
His people are done to Him.
4.3.1. He tells His people that those who are sheepof His right hand of honor
are those who have done goodthings to His people:
4.3.1.1.He was hungry, they gave Him something to eat.
4.3.1.2.He was thirsty, they gave Him drink.
4.3.1.3.He was sick, they visited Him.
4.3.1.4.He was in prison, they came to Him.
4.3.2. Jesussays that even those things that have been done ‘to the leastof
them’ have been done to Him, referring possibly to age, socialstatus, station
in life or the church.
4.3.3. It is interesting to see here that deeds determine who was righteous and
who wasn’t, howeversalvationas we know is by ‘grace through faith, and not
as a result of works’(Eph. 2:8-9), howeverit is also the case that as James
says in chapter two of his epistle, ‘faith without works is dead’, since faith
produces works.
5. VS 25:41-46 - “41 “ThenHe will also sayto those on His left, ‘Depart from
Me, accursedones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil
and his angels;42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was
thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did
not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and
you did not visit Me.’44 “Thenthey themselves also will answer, saying,

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