Sheep & Goats Judgment—on Nations or Individuals?

SHEEP & GOATS JUDGMENT. Many Christian leaders say their nation needs lasting revival so it will end up as a sheep nation. They go on to say that every nation will face its final verdict at the sheep & goats judgment (Mt. 25:31-46). But that would mean that some entire nations “will go away into eternal punishment”. And other entire nations will go “into eternal life” (v.46).

Of course, that completely contradicts salvation by faith for each individual believer, no matter their nation. For “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16). All Belizeans will not go to hell, and all Belizeans will not go to heaven.

What then does the sheep & goats judgment mean? In its context it will happen “when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all His angels with Him” (v.31a). Clearly this means His Second Coming. And “then He will sit on His glorious throne” (v.31b), which He will occupy for 1000 years.

“All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left” (vv.32-33).

The right and the left

This does not have to mean that Jesus will separate them into different nations. Instead, like a shepherd, He separates sheep and goats into two different groups. He puts every sheep on His right and every goat on His left.

Nor does this mean that all people of all nations of all times are present at that judgment. In fact, all believers of all times up until then have already been raptured and received rewards. The seventh trumpet has already heralded “the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name” (Rev. 11:18).

So those facing the sheep & goats judgment are those still living after the Rapture has left them behind. They survived the Tribulation and Armageddon without taking the mark of the Antichrist.

During those perilous times, they had opportunities to feed the hungry and thirsty, and shelter strangers. They had opportunities to clothe the naked and to visit the sick and the imprisoned (Mt. 25:35-45).

For during those times, those who refuse to take the mark will lose their right to buy and sell. So they will risk hunger, thirst, homelessness, nakedness, sickness without treatment, and imprisonment. And no believer will remain after the Rapture to preach the gospel to them.

Yet even then, an angel will preach “an eternal gospel” to them. This gospel existed before the world knew Jesus in the flesh: “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him…” (Rev. 14:7). Therefore, they must fear, glorify and worship Him as Creator, Judge and Redeemer from judgment.

Yet how do they then gain salvation by faith? It seems here that they gain it through works—feeding, sheltering and clothing the needy. And caring for the sick and visiting prisoners.

Faith works

But Jesus knows that these works show the faith of His sheep. They must have faith in God in order to defy the Antichrist and risk their lives caring for his victims. On the other hand, those who fear the Antichrist more than God will not risk caring for his victims. Though they refuse to take his mark, they prove themselves to be goats.

Still, the goats will call Jesus “Lord” (Mt. 25:37). When He “comes in His glory” to “sit on His glorious throne”, they will gather before Him (vv.31-32). They will expect a reward. But they will watch in surprise when He separates them from the sheep. And they will protest that they didn’t know they denied God Himself when they denied care to the needy.

Faith works. During severe persecution, God tests our faith. Caring for the persecuted shows that our faith works. Not caring for them shows we fear persecution more than God. Moreover, “the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 Jn. 4:20).

After the sheep & goats judgment, those who did not dare to gather before His throne or to call Him Lord will remain. They will have the rest of their lives during the 1000 years to choose Jesus as Lord, or deny Him.

In our time we can expect the harvest to increase even as lawlessness increases. But if most people in our nation choose lawlessness and, finally, “the man of lawlessness”, we need not go along with them. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Mt. 7:14).