THE SHEEP AND GOAT JUDGMENT A study by Gavin Finley MD endtimepilgrim.org

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SCRIPTURE PASSAGE, MATTHEW 25:31-46

31. "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
32. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
33. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
34. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35. for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
36. I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'
37. Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38. When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39. Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
40. And the King will answer and say to them,
'Assuredly, I say to you,
inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'
41. Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
42. for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;
43. I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'
44. Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'
45. Then He will answer them, saying,
'Assuredly, I say to you,
inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'
46. And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS ARE UNSAVED GENTILES.
THEY ARE LEFT ON EARTH AT THE END OF THE AGE.
THEY HAVE NOT BEEN PLUCKED UP IN THE END-TIME HARVEST OF THE WICKED.
NOR HAVE THEY BEEN GLORIFIED WITH THE REDEEMED IN THE RESURRECTION-RAPTURE.
AND SO THEY AWAIT SORTING OUT BY THE RETURNING MESSIAH.

The Sheep-Goat Judgment is a teaching given to us by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse. It is a very important prophecy. Jesus is telling us what will happen to the gentiles, (or those still unsaved), at the end of this age. A person is either allowed entry into the Millennium as a sheep or they are cut off and damned as a goat. This judgment will occur after the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the age and after the glorification of the saints. Untold hundreds of millions will be left alive on earth in their mortal bodies. And these people will be judged for entry into the Millennium of Messiah.

The Sheep-Goat Judgment is an awesome and sobering future reality. God's covenant people are not in the picture here. They will have been glorified and in new spiritual bodies. But the people still alive and in their mortal bodies at the close of this age will face Messiah's earthly judgment. He will judge the heathen, (the nations or the gentiles), as a shepherd would separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep and the goats are unsaved gentiles. These are men, women, and children who have not yet come into the covenants of Israel. (Eph.2:12-13) These people have not made any personal commitment to Christ as Savior and Lord. They have not come into covenant with Messiah. They do not know Him. If they had known Him they would have been glorified at the return of Messiah at the Resurrection-Rapture. Some are judged as goats. The goats are separated out and cast away. But the sheep are led on into green pastures. And so they enter into the glorious Millennium of Messiah.

THE SHEEP-GOAT JUDGMENT IS NOT A JUDGMENT FOR ENTRY INTO HEAVEN OR INTO ETERNITY.
NOR IS IT THE BEMA JUDGMENT OF THE SAINTS FOR THEIR HEAVENLY REWARD.
RATHER IT IS A TEMPORAL MESSIANIC JUDGMENT OF PEOPLE WHO STILL HAVE MORTAL LIFE AT THE END OF THIS AGE.
THESE ARE UNREDEEMED PEOPLE WHO ARE YET TO BE SAVED.
THESE PEOPLE OF THE NATIONS WILL BE JUDGED, NOT FOR HEAVEN, BUT FOR MILLENNIAL ENTRY.
AND THE SHEEP-GOAT JUDGMENT WILL BE HELD HERE ON EARTH.

As we look at the scriptures in Matthew 25 concerning the Sheep-Goat Judgment we soon discover that this is not a judgment of disembodied souls before the throne of God. Nor is it the Bema Judgment seat of Christ up in the heavenly places. These people are unsaved. They are not in direct first order New Covenant relationship with Messiah. And now, still in their mortal bodies, and having survived the Great Tribulation, they stand before Messiah right down here upon this earth. They stand at the threshold of the idyllic Millennial Age to Come. Will they get a passport to go in? Or not? That, dear saints, is the question.

The Elect, of course, will be glorified at the end of this age. The saints are not in view here in this sheep-goat judgment. The saints who are raised up after the Great Tribulation, the quick and the dead, both the Resurrected and the Raptured are glorified. They now have new spiritual bodies. This blessed company will not be subject to the sheep-goat Judgment.

Now we have some reason to believe that the saints will in fact be there. But they will be there as witnesses on behalf of those being judged. (More on this later.) But they themselves will not be in this judgment of unsaved, and in many cases yet to be saved, heathen gentiles.

How about the abominably wicked? Are they in view here? The short answer is, no. The wicked tares will have been plucked up off the planet before the Sheep-Goat Judgment which occurs at the opening of the Millennium of Messiah. They will have been carried off in that terrible apocalyptic harvest. The grim reapers will have plucked these evildoers off the planet to the place of the eagles/vultures. This hideous harvest of the wicked will carried out at the end of the age during the Day of the Lord. The grim reapers will be the destroying angels of wrath.

We see this awful plucking up of the wicked described in Holy Scripture. Jesus laid it out very clearly for us in the parable of the wheat and the tares. The tares, (that is, the wicked), are gathered up first. This is what Jesus Himself plainly states. His words are recorded in the Bible. (Mat.13:30)

Then comes the harvest of the righteous.
And those who are "in Christ" are gathered up to meet the Lord in the air. (1Thes. 4:15-18)

So the Sheep-Goat Judgment concerns the people who are left in the nations after the 70th Week of Daniel comes to its end. These people who are left are the gentiles, or the unredeemed heathen, if you will. This judgment will take place here on earth. It is a judgment by Messiah of living mortals. They still have their lives before them, if the Messiah accepts them. He is entitled to accept or reject them. And so they await His judgment. He alone can decide whether or not they deserve entry into the coming glorious Millennium of Messiah. And so we have the separation of the sheep from the goats. It comes with the return of Christ at the end of the age.

Here in the Sheep-Goat Judgment we see individuals who are still outside the covenants of the God of Israel. These are unsaved gentiles who have not come into the Eternal Covenant with Christ/Messiah. These people have not yet been saved. They have not yet found redemption under the covering blood of Christ, the promised Sacrifice Lamb. These people, which include perhaps a billion children, are survivors of the Great Tribulation. They have come through earth's climactic history in the 70th Week of Daniel.

Quite obviously some of the gentiles, even if they are not among the wicked whom Messiah destroys at His coming, are nevertheless self-willed rambunctious people. These are the goats. In this judgment they will be cut off from the land of the living. They will be sent away to damnation with the blatantly wicked.

The others are more fortunate. They find favor with Messiah. These are judged as the sheep. Thus they are given entry into Messiah's Millennial Kingdom.

MESSIAH'S JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS IS A BLOOD COVENANT MATTER.
IT IS NOT BASED MERELY ON GOOD WORKS OR ON PERSONAL VIRTUE.

The Sheep-Goat Judgment occurs upon earth shortly after the Second Coming of Christ. As we shall see further along in this article, the biblical study of the two turtledoves sheds some further light on the legal blood covenant issues that form the basis for this epic judgment. Because the Sheep-Goat Judgment is very much a blood covenant issue. It involves total commitment in loving-kindness, even if this is shown by an unredeemed person. The judgment is not on the basis of someone knowing and directly covenanting with Messiah. But nevertheless, a blood covenant connection is involved here. So the connection to Messiah, while indirect, is nevertheless vital. As we shall see, a favorable judgment is based upon a second order blood covenant connection enacted through, (and witnessed by), a third party.

The Sheep-Goat Judgment is not based upon "good works" as many evangelicals erroneously assert. No man comes to God except by a blood covenant connection to the Savior. Blood covenant loving-kindness, even a commitment of a friend to a friend unto death, may show itself in good works. But the covenant connection we see spotlighted in the Sheep-Goat Judgment is the elucidation of evidence demonstrating a deep person to person commitment of someone to a friend of Messiah. A friend of Messiah has been through some hard times in the Great Tribulation. Someone has either shown mercy to this friend of Messiah or he has not. And now Messiah has returned to earth these matters, quite understandably, are being looked into. This is the judgment now faced by the sheep and the goats. Messiah has come back, just as He said He would. And now, it is payback time.

The Sheep-Goat Judgment as we see it outlined in Mat.25:31-46 is surely a judgment on a blood covenant level of commitment. It is important to understand that the only way a person can come to God is through a personal blood covenant relationship with Him. In this case the relationship is made through a third party. But it is blood covenant that forms the basis for the returning Messiah's judgment of the people in the nations. It is not a judgment of works alone.

The Sheep-Goat Judgment our returning Messiah is not just an objective measurement of virtue. The examination is not based on how good a person may have tried to be. We know from scripture that no man can please God on the basis of his good works alone. (Eph.2:8&9) A person's faith is the real issue. Faith is what determines a person's actions, and drives his behavior. And a person's blood covenant commitment gives rise to that faith and so determines what a person ends up doing and his ultimate destiny. This vital blood covenant relationship is the real issue we see here as Messiah makes His assessment of human hearts.

A close look at the scripture in Matthew 25 shows us quite clearly that person to person blood covenant loving-kindness is the central issue. This is what is being assessed in the Sheep-Goat Judgment. As we look at it we see that at its heart this is a personal relationship matter being worked out between friends. One of them knows the Messiah. The other one does not. But is he cut off? No, he is not. He is given special favor. And why? Is it because he has tried to be a virtuous person? Not at all. The unsaved mortal is given special favor because he has shown himself a friend to someone in trouble. And this is no ordinary friend. This friend knows Messiah!

A PROVISIONAL OR TEMPORARY BLOOD COVENANT
RELATIONSHIP IS ENACTED THROUGH A THIRD PARTY.
THIS IS THE SECOND ORDER BLOOD COVENANT WE
SEE SPOTLIGHTED IN THE SHEEP-GOAT JUDGMENT.
IT IS NOT THE ULTIMATE ETERNAL SOUL SALVATION.
BUT IT IS ENOUGH FOR A FAVORED MORTAL TO
GAIN ENTRY INTO MESSIAH'S KINGDOM.

We also see that the Sheep-Goat Judgment is not two-way first order blood covenant. The judgment involves a triangle. Three parties are involved here. This is one thing that sets this judgment apart from the others we see in scripture. This covenant assessment is not made under the basis of a direct covenant with Messiah. These people are heathen gentiles. So clearly there is no first order, person to person relationship with Messiah to be had. The sheep and goats coming into judgment are outside the covenant of salvation. They do not have a saving knowledge and a relationship with the God of Israel. If they did they would have been glorified. They would not be considered heathen gentiles.

So this judgment is an indirect second order blood covenant relationship. It is based upon blood covenant loving-kindness being ministered to a third party. The covenant with Messiah is confirmed through the sponsoring witness of that third party contact, someone who does know Messiah. A friend of Messiah has been helped. And Messiah takes note of that as a blood covenant issue.

THE SHEEP-GOAT JUDGMENT IS NOT A JUDGMENT OF THE ELECT OF THIS AGE.
THE SAINTS OF THIS AGE WILL BE GLORIFIED AT THE END OF THIS AGE.
BUT GOD CONTINUES HIS DEALINGS WITH THE HUMAN RACE.

It is important to understand that the Sheep-Goat Judgment is showcased here on earth. This is not the Final Judgment of immortal souls before the throne of God. Nor is this an entry into the pearly gates of heaven. It is not the BEMA Judgment Seat of Christ. The entry of souls into the heavenly realms is not in view here. The people in question here are those remaining on the earth in their mortal bodies at the end of this age. The saints, both the living and the dead, have been raised up or raptured. They will have already been glorified at the Resurrection-Rapture.

And where will the glorified saints be going? They will be in new spiritual bodies not unlike the sort of body Jesus was seen with after His resurrection. The Apostle John said that they will minister with Christ for a thousand years. This is the time period of the Millennium of Messiah. (Rev.20:4-6)

Will the glorified saints minister to mortals living upon the earth in the millennium? Will they be ministering to people who had been judged as sheep? And might some of the glorified saints actually end up ministering to the very people who helped them during those awesome trials and tribulation of the 70th Week?

THE SHEEP-GOAT JUDGMENT A CIVIC MATTER.
IT INVOLVES MILLENNIAL CITIZENSHIP.
AS THE MILLENNIAL AGE OPENS MESSIAH JUDGES THOSE WHO ARE LEFT.
HE ISSUES PASSPORTS INTO HIS MILLENNIUM TO WHOMSOEVER HE WILLS.
HE DOES THIS BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF SECOND ORDER BLOOD COVENANT.

Our scripture passage shows us that the Sheep-Goat Judgment is not the judgment of souls for entry into heaven. Rather, it is a judgment of living mortal individuals here on earth. They are being processed before being permitted entry into the earthly Millennium of Messiah.

This is a covenant matter between God and mankind. The returning Messiah is back on earth judging the nations. After the awful history of humanistic mankind during the Apocalypse Messiah has every right to come in judgment of the nations. Because man-centered government during the final seven years of this age will have brought this planet to the very brink of destruction.

The sheep and the goats are people who remain here on earth after the judgment of the blatantly wicked and the Resurrection-Rapture of the saints of this age. But perhaps billions of people still remain on earth. They are now standing before Messiah at the threshold of the new Millennium. This is that glorious new age which will be established by our returning Messiah for a literal 1,000 years.

Now there is an important principle here. Our Messiah spilled His blood on this planet. he came to this earth to save mankind, - that is if they want to be saved. And we know that when Christ returns multitudes are mourning. These people truly desire to be saved. And they will be saved in the green pasturs of His coming Millennial Kingdom. Others, the self-willed goat peole have not shown any interest in Messiah or His witnesses. So Messiah is sovereign in the age to come. And He has every right to judge and to decide who will come into His Kingdom. He can accept or reject whomsoever He wills. The scriptures are quite clear as to what happens. The goats will be rejected and taken off. The sheep will enter in.

The Sheep Are Led In Green Pastures
during the Millennium of Messiah

Painting by English artist Margaret Tarrant, 1888-1959.

Here in this judgment we see certain mortals being given permission to pass into the Messiah's earthly Kingdom. The Sheep-Goat Judgment involves the gentiles or the heathen. Some were judged as "goats" and destroyed with the wicked. The others, judged as sheep enter into the new Millennial Kingdom.

Christian and Messianic believers, those who had been in direct personal covenant with Christ/Messiah are not in view here. At the time of the Sheep-Goat Judgment they will no longer be earthbound mortals. They will have been glorified. They will no longer be bound by time or space.

Here is another pointer. Believers in covenant with Messiah are no longer heathen gentiles. They no longer fit the description as "gentiles" or "nations". In scripture these terms always refer to those who are still outside the Eternal Covenant with the Redeemer of Israel. When a person is saved or "born again" they become a new creation in Christ. Our Savior Jesus Christ is the Holy One of Israel. He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

When a person becomes a Christian his basic identity begins to change from the inside out. His new identity is in Christ, the promised Seed of Abraham. Christ is the Light to the gentiles and the Savior sent into this World. A believing Christian is in blood covenant relationship with Messiah who is King of Kings. Messiah has crown rights over His covenant people. Christ's claim upon a Christian believer is far and above any claims their nation, their king or prince, or their land has upon them.

A Christian's national allegiance is superseded by his spiritual allegiance to Christ. This has been demonstrated in the history of the early church. Allegiance to Christ wins out over allegiance to Caesar or any other earthly national ruler for that matter. There is no stronger bond than the covenant a Christian believer enters into with Christ. Upon his conversion he enters into the citizenship or Commonwealth of Israel. - Eph.2:12

As we shall see, blood covenant is the key to the Sheep-Goat Judgment. There is, in fact, a blood covenant condition imposed for entry of mortals into Messiah's future Kingdom. His divine rulership will be established here on earth for a literal thousand years. Certain unsaved people, (likened to sheep rather than goats), are granted entry into the Millennial Kingdom. They are permitted entry on the basis of a 'second order' covenant enacted through the good graces of a third party witness and guarantor. This is plainly and simply outlined by Jesus in His teaching on the Sheep-Goat Judgment. (Mat.25:31-46) A close look at the scripture in red below shows quite clearly that the returning Christ grants clemency and divine favor to someone who in a time of trial has truly proven himself to be a 'friend to Messiah's friend' when he was in trouble. This is "second order" blood covenant.

THE SHEEP-GOAT JUDGMENT AS IT RELATES TO THE
BIBLICAL SYMBOLISM OF THE TWO TURTLEDOVES.

"Two Turtledoves in lieu of a Lamb". Click on the image above to go to the article.

This subject is difficult for evangelicals to grasp. Second order covenant is commonplace in any blood covenant company of people. Families, armies, gangs, all operate on a network of trust and total commitment. That network of total commitment and lovingkindness occasionally extends outside the circle. And the fact is whenever blood covenant friendship is demonstrated it is recognized. True friends show before all witnesses that they are willing to give their lives for each other. That is the gist of blood covenant. Blood covenant loving-kindness is a demonstration of total commitment. And whenever it is seen, in love or war, whether it be Romeo and Juliet or the common soldier fighting alongside his comrades the drama sets up and establishes a new reality. And after the smoke clears and the dust settles that new friend is suddenly recognized.

So here is the main story behind this strange story of unexpected favor that is extended to the unsaved sheep people at the Sheep-Goat Judgment. There are occasions when blood covenant favor is extended to someone who is not a member of the fellowship. Sometimes special grace and favor is granted to an outsider. This new favored status does not come easily as we see with the merchant contracts of mammon. The special favor is based on a proven track record of faithfulness under trial. Because of these unexpected acts of lovingkindmess a "good word" is put in by the insider on behalf of the outsider. There have been trials and tribulations. And during this time of testing someone who is inside the covenant has come to know the person in question and to appreciate what they did for them. They have come to love them in a deep and personal sort of a way. The person outside the covenant has shown themselves to be a true friend of the person who is inside the covenant. And that suffices for their admission into the circle.

This covenant connection through a third party is something we might call "second order blood covenant". It is not at all unusual. Even the Mafia operates in second order covenant from time to time. Here is a classic quote.

"Any friend of Vinnie's is a friend of mine!"

THE TWO TURTLEDOVES IN THE DRAMA OF THE END TIME.
AND THE REVELATION / UNVEILING OF HIDDEN MYSTERIES.

We must face the facts of scripture and reality here. When this age comes to an end many of the unsaved heathen, (or gentiles), will have not been given had a fair chance to hear the Good News preached. The Great Tribulation period will be a time of end-time revival for Christians who have previously been lukewarm in their devotion. But it will not be a particularly peaceful time to conduct Gospel outreach. There will not be many evangelical meetings held during the second half of the final seven years of this age. But here in this passage of scripture on the Sheep-Goat Judgment we can plainly see that many will have come into some sort of ad-hoc blood covenant connection, not with messiah himself but with the people of Messiah. They will be coming into covenant with Messiah in a roundabout way to be sure. But it will prove to be a crucial first step in their pilgrimage. They will be coming into covenant with Him through certain covenant friends of Messiah. How will this happen?

As the 70th Week of Daniel opens the situation for Christian believers will be difficult. Both covenant partners will enter the tumultuous 7 years of the Apocalypse, first under the harlot system and then under the false messiah. During that coming tme many non-believers will give special aid and assistance to Christians. During the Great Tribulation they will care for these persecuted tribulation saints. They feed them, cloth them, shelter them, visit them in prison. They treat them as true blood covenant friends. Then the partner who know Messiah is sent off into exile.

The two are separated. They are now far away from each other, but not forgotten.
The storms of life have swept the two friends apart.
And the lonesome doves are out there, unconsolable, and in a howling wilderness.

Of course they still remember the ones they left behind. And while they may be oceans apart their thoughts return to the former times, to the friends they once knew, and the things they learned. Now, they are alienated from each other, like two turtledoves cooing in the wilderness.

But nevertheless, in spite of the separation, they are still a pair. And here at the Sheep-Goat Judgment one of them, the one who does not know Messiah, is on trial. And once again, Messiah is calling for witnesses. This time the witness is on behalf of the one who is not in blood covenant relationship with Messiah. And in this picture we can clearly see that the unsaved one is receiving favor. At the Sheep-Goat Judgment a positive affirmation and a confirming witness has been made. And the two friends are accepted by the returning Messiah as a pair.

This is truly marvelous. The Sheep-Goat Judgment when we study it out is just one more demonstration of the wonderful grace of Jesus. A person shows blood covenant loving-kindness to Messiah's friend. That person is not yet in direct first order covenant with Messiah. But he is not forgotten by Messiah. He comes into Millennial citizenship paired up with, (or sponsored by), his buddy or his mate. His friend has connections. He is someone who is in direct covenant with Messiah. The non-covenanted person has come into the privilege of Messiah's covenant of grace by a blood covenant third party connection.

There is a lot of drama wrapped up in this story. The unsaved party, the one who is not yet in the covenant with Messiah, has cared for his Christian friend in a relationship of devotion and blood covenant loving-kindness. He looked after his Christian friend when he was in a wilderness experience of tribulation and need. He risked his life for him. There they were like birds in the wilderness. The one who was not in the covenant with Messiah cared for the one who was. He showed blood covenant loving-kindness. So Messiah receives and accepts both of them as a pair. And so ends the drama and the romance of the two turtledoves. It sheds some light on the Sheep-Goat Judgment. It is an important part of the end-time drama. Unfortunately for most Christians at this point in history this is still an untold story.

The Sheep-Goat judgment presupposes a blood covenant relationship. It is a relationship of great depth and meaning. And Messiah quite clearly takes note of that. The one who is in covenant with Messiah, we must assume, had been in a spot of bother. He had, in fact, been in great need and under deadly persecution. As a witness to Messiah in a hostile world he had lacked the basic things of life such as food, clothing, and shelter. Just getting help to an outlaw and befriending them is a risky business. Therein lies the blood covenant connection.

The drama moves on to its next phase. In the course of events the two covenant partners are separated. The non-Christian is bereaved. As the dramatic events of the Great Tribulation unfold his Christian friend is taken away. He is either martyred or exiled or he flies away as a refugee to another place. But during this time his friend had come to know and love him. And so when his friend is taken away he experiences a terrible sense of personal loss. A lonesome dove is in the wilderness, cooing for his lost mate.

Now we can put some more pieces together. In the Beatitudes Jesus has said, "blessed are they that mourn". And "blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness. And so the one who is found mourning in the wilderness for his lost covenant partner will soon discover that all is not lost. In fact he has been truly blessed. As a direct result of his acts of kindness to his friend he in turn is about to be shown blood covenant loving-kindness. Because the Friend of his friend has just shown up on the scene. And He is no ordinary friend. He just happens to be the returning Messiah! To cap things off, his mate, the one who had been lost, is not dead after all. He has been found!

In this case we see that grace and peace with God came into the life of the non-believing person on the basis of a second order covenant relationship. For the lonesome dove who has shown kindness and devotion to his friend in the wilderness things have suddenly taken a turn for the better. His mourning turns into joy. His friend is now able to visit him. And he finds himself ushered into the glorious 1000 year earthly Millennial Kingdom of Messiah.

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.
AND THE MANY UNSAVED WHO MOURN AT HIS COMING.

In the Olivet Discourse Jesus had a private conversation with four of His trusted disciples. He told them what would happen at the end of this age. It would be after the tribulation that He will return to gather His elect. Here are the words of Jesus on the matter, for those to whom it is given to know of these things.

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon shall not give its light;
the stars will fall from heaven
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven,
and then all of the tribes of the earth will mourn,
and they will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory". (Mat.24:29-30)

Many will be mourning at the second coming of Christ. What about the unsaved people who mourn when this age comes to a close? Many of them had connections with Christian believers. But they never actually entered into covenant with the Messiah. Now, He has now returned. Many of them never had a proper opportunity to get to know Him. And now Messiah is here to judge. And all seems lost. But is it?

Lets look at the facts here. These people are still alive on this earth. They are not facing Christ at the pearly gates. The Sheep-Goat Judgment is a judgment of Christ to be sure. But this is not the judgment that people face before their entry into heaven. These people are on earth. They are alive. They are in their mortal bodies are they not? And some of them are mourning over lost opportunities to have been saved. They were on their way to being saved. But in the tumult of the final seven years of the age it just didn't happen. But they did make some friends among those persecuted Christians before they were carried away into exile or wherever they went. Many of them had shown themselves to be true friends to Christians in desperate need.

So here is the returning Messiah, on earth at the end of the age and about to set up His Millennial Kingdom. Multitudes of people are there before Him, many of them mourning. Yes, they are unsaved. But these are not all wicked people here. And here is another issue. There may be a billion children under the age of accountability left the end of this age. Is there still hope for them? Or are they all to be damned forever?

Let us remember that we have a merciful God. He is just and righteous Ruler of the Universe. He is the Holy One of Israel and He watches over His people as a Good Shepherd cares for His sheep. Now some of the unsaved are wicked self-willed goat-like people. And yes, such people deserve judgment and removal from the face of Messiah. But many are not deserving of damnation. Many of these people have a wonderful opportunity of a a future life on earth before them do they not? And now, at the end of the age, we see them mourning and repenting. Will a God of mercy and grace cut them off, along with their little children because they are not yet saved?

Perhaps not. Messiah will apparently show favor to some.
If there happens to be a witness.
This is what the Sheep-Goat Judgment is all about.
Someone is vouching for this person in a very positive and decisive way.
Someone is bringing a "good word" concerning this person. And the returning King is hearing all about it.
So on the basis of this witness Messiah extends His hand of mercy. This is precisely what we see happening in the scripture record we see in Matthew 25 verses 31-46).

BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN.
BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT.

Our God is more gracious than we know. When we take a trip abroad we soon come to appreciate that there are multitudes of spiritually poor people who have not heard the Gospel. What about those who mourn at His coming? What about those people, particularly in foreign countries, who are "poor in spirit"? What about those who never had a chance to know about the Savior? They never got a chance to "cut the covenant" with Him personally. He is the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev.13:8) His blood was shed to bring men back into fellowship with God. But what about these people who mourn? And what about the children who never had a chance to know God? Are they all to be consigned to Hell?

It is a sad fact that most people in the teeming millions of India and in the third world many have not heard the Gospel. Not even once. Many are still on their way to finding out. There is an emptiness inside of them that suffers the "angst" of separation from God. But has anyone shone the Light of God's Word into the place of their darkness? Can they hear the wooing voice of God if no one brings them the message of salvation? Who is reaching out to them and inviting them to accept God as their Savior and Friend? It is hard if they have not been presented with the Gospel. Have they had a messenger come to them and present this Good News? Alas, most of them have not.

Many people around the world are in the process of coming to God. Unfortunately many are under oppressive regimes or struggling to survive. Many do not get their basic needs met let alone get a chance to stop and consider the deeper realities of life. Half the children of this world go to bed hungry. Death and disease stalks the people between the latitudes 10 degrees north of the equator to 30 degrees south of the equator. Many poor people are stymied by a wicked political system.

There are three enemies of the Gospel. These are the world system, the flesh, and the Devil. During the coming Millennium two of these enemies will be eliminated. Satan will be bound for one thousand years. (Rev. 20:1-3) SO much for the Devil. And the kingdoms of this world will have become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ/Messiah. (Rev.11:15) So much for the world system. Both of these enemies currently help to prevent men from hearing the Gospel and coming into union with God. Only the third enemy, our own flesh nature, will stand in the way of the call of God to man in the coming Kingdom of Messiah.

This present evil age with its devil enshrouded spiritual darkness, along with its despotic regimes, its wars and famines have conspired to prevent or delay any evangelical awakening in the lives of most people on this planet. Many evangelicals are in a spiritual prison in Hindu and Muslim countries as well as under secular communist regimes. In spite of the claims of big ministries the vast masses of souls on this earth have not yet heard the Gospel. Due to our present inadequate Gospel and missionary outreach most have not yet come into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Big ministries will try to give the impression that they have just about wrapped things up and are ready for Messiah to return. But the facts indicate otherwise. The Great Commission is far from complete. Even at the end of the coming Great Tribulation there will still be multitudes of such unsaved people who have not "taken the mark of the beast". Not all unsaved people will be initiated into the devotion of the Antichrist and entered into his 666 economic system.

We are not inclined to consider these things. In the western countries we are in a different situation. We hear the gospel message quite frequently. If we reject it or neglect it we shall clearly be without excuse. But many of these dear people in places abroad, especially children, have not heard the Gospel presented to them even once! Are we to lump all these in with those wicked ones who have taken the mark and who shake their fist at heaven and curse the returning Christ? If the scriptures say, "Blessed are they that mourn" are these people to be considered as just "too late" for any opportunity to go on with God into His coming Kingdom?

ONE BILLION CHILDREN LEFT ALIVE AT THE END OF THIS TUMULTUOUS AGE.
AND THE RESPONSE OF JESUS TO THE LITTLE CHILDREN BROUGHT BEFORE HIM.

Painting by English artist Margaret Tarrant, (1888-1959).

Let's take a look at Jesus and His attitude to the little ones who were brought to Him.

"Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; and bless them but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

10:14  But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them,
'Let the little children come to Me,
and do not forbid them;
for of such is the kingdom of God.

10:15  Assuredly, I say to you,
whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.'

10:16  And He took them up in His arms,
put His hands on them,
and blessed them."
-Mark 10:13-16 NKJV

TWO TURTLEDOVES:
AN ACCEPTABLE SUBSTITUTE SACRIFICE IN LIEU OF A LAMB:
TWO TURTLEDOVES:
A PICTURE OF SECOND ORDER COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND MAN.
AN IMPORTANT KEY TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SHEEP-GOAT JUDGEMENT.
THE ENTRY QUALIFICATIONS FOR THOSE COMING INTO THE MILLENNIUM OF MESSIAH.

When the returning Messiah judges between the sheep and the goats He is judging the nations. This means He is judging Gentile/heathen people who have not come into the covenant and the commonwealth or citizenship of Israel by grace through faith in Christ/Yeshua as Savior. (Eph.2:12-13) They don't know Him yet. Many of them have not had a chance to know Him.

Are all these yet unsaved people to be condemned? Are all of these people to be considered goats and sent off into outer darkness? Have every one of them, including the little children truly "had their chance"? Are they all worthy of death, the innocent along with the wicked?

If not, then might God be about to make a judgment here? Will He not give the sheep of His pasture a chance? These dear people have just been put through the Great Tribulation. Many will have been subjected to terrible deprivations and traumas. Wouldn't the Millennium of Messiah, a magnificent new age just beginning, provide a wonderful opportunity for a new beginning for them?

The coming Millennium of Messiah will be all about providing for those masses of mankind who are still lost and yet in their mourning are truly ready to repent and come to know God. They will be given opportunity to rest in the peaceful context of His coming Kingdom here on earth. He will bind up their wounds and He will bless those who have mourned. They will be given that essential opportunity to come to know the Him. The sheep of His pasture will rest by the still waters. And there they will be fed the Word of Life.

Shepherds tell us that sheep will not drink from a raging river. They will only drink from still waters. At the end of this age there will be much political and military turmoil. Many will have longed to know God but never had the chance. They have not had the chance to drink from the waters of life.

Will they ever be given that opportunity? Will they be led by Messiah into green pastures? Will they be and spiritually fed by the still waters in the beauty of His restored earth? Or are these people who mourn at the sixth seal all to be damned for ever along with the wicked?

What is our heart and our conscience saying? Do we know the heart of the Shepherd on this matter?

Fortunately we are not left to guess or to be either judgmental or sentimental in this matter. The Bible tells us what will happen. God will judge in righteousness in this matter. The goats will be cut off. They will be damned. But the sheep will stay on and find life.

Matthew 25:31-46 lays out for us the essential features of the sheep and goat judgment. It is a judgment of mortals here on earth at the end of the age. They are not saved. If they were then they would have been glorified. Now they appear here on earth before the royal authority of the coming Kingdom of God. The sheep-goat judgment is not a judgment of souls at the gates of heaven. It is the Bema Judgment Seat of Christ. (2Cor.5:10 And it is not the Great White Throne judgment seen at the end of the Millennium. (Rev.20:11-15) This is a judgment on the earth of living mortal human beings. This is very important difference.

Jesus even tells us how He will judge between the sheep and the goats. He tells us quite clearly in Matthew 25:31-46). The sheep are allowed entry into the Kingdom of Messiah based on how they treated His covenant people in their time of need. Presumably, the time during which this kindness was shown was during the Great Tribulation. Yet these people are not saved at the time of His coming. There is no mention at all of them being in direct covenant relationship with Christ. Rather, it would appear that each of these specially selected unsaved people are being given a passport into the earthly Kingdom of Messiah. The favor being shown to them here is on the basis of an indirect or second order covenant. They receive the favor of Messiah by virtue of an indirect covenant connection. These people are covenanted to Messiah through others who just happen to be His friends. His tribulation saints, (of whom Messiah is in a blood covenant relationship), are the vital link to Messiah here. These sheep of God's pasture have been friends with Messiah's people. during their trials on earth. The goats were not. The sheep people had shown God's covenant friends covenant loving-kindness. They had shown themselves to be true friends. That meant something to God. These people, event though they had not been saved, had in many cases risked their own lives to feed, cloth, and help these friends of Messiah in their time of need. Because of this Messiah does not forget them. He cannot forget them. So God is judging them as a pair. The tribulation saints, (who are now glorified and in spiritual bodies), are more or less sponsoring those who still remain on earth in mortal bodies. These were the ones who in blood covenant loving-kindness had shown themselves to be true. These are their friends. And yet at the time of the sheep-goat judgment have not yet been saved.

In the onrush of events in the last days the open preaching of the Gospel by the saints will not be possible except possibly for those who have been exiled in the Bozrah incarceration. The saints will be under the persecution throughout the entire 70th week. First it will come under the harlot system and then the 666 system of the Antichrist. John's vision of the woman of Revelation 12 suggests that large numbers of Christian believers may be sequestered away in a place where they vcan be nurtured in spiritual things. (Rev.12:6)

It seems that many people who have become inclined to respond to God never get the opportunity. But they did have an opportunity to show the Christians some kindness somewhere down the line. Then at the end of the age they see the coming Christ they will mourn. They will mourn over their lost opportunity to have come to know the Savior. The sands of time have run out and now it is the last day of this age. As the Day of the Lord begins and the heavens open they see the sign of the Son of Man. And on that Day many will mourn. They will mourn when they realize that He was the Savior they really belonged to. And yet they had never really come to know Him.

The wicked will be carried off as the tares or weeds gathered for the fires. (Mat. 13:30 & 40-42) The wicked will be destroyed on the awesome Day of His coming. (Isaiah 63) But what about these sorrowful people who are mourning? Will they receive words of comfort in that Day?

Perhaps they will. Because Jesus tells us quite clearly that at His coming some group of people, people He judges as sheep and not goats, will hear these words;

"Come, you blessed of my Father
You who are favored of God
and appointed to salvation
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you
From the foundation of the world."

-Mat.25:34

"...........Inasmuch as you did it to the least of these my brethren,
You did it to me."

-Mat.25:40 AMP. (abbr.)

The God of Israel is the God of love. He calls out His people at heart level. And He meets His people and communes with them at heart level. David even wrote a song about it. (Psalm 51)

PSALM 51
16 For You do not desire sacrifice,
or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart--
These, O God, You will not despise. (Psa.51:16-17)

The poetry and the themes which run through scripture reveal a loving God. Even in the time of judgment He is continually wooing us at the level of our heart. Even in our tribulations as we are scattered into a howling wilderness our God is there beside us. He spreads a table before us in the presence of our enemies.
Our journey with Him and into Him is a love walk. And He gives us a song in the night.

PSALM 42
7. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts:
all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
8. Yet the LORD will command his loving-kindness in the daytime,
and in the night his song shall be with me,
and my prayer unto the God of my life. (Psa. 42:7-8)

Grace and peace to the saints.

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