The Bible says that when the Lord returns, there will be a judgment released upon the earth, dividing sheep nations and goat nations.
Jesus said this, “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. 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. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 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: 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; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me'” (Matt. 25:31-36, NKJV).
The sheep nations will be at His right hand, and the goat nations will be at His left.
By nature, sheep are dependent. They stick together and care for the flock. They tend to be more cooperative and stay close to their shepherd.
On the other hand, goats are more mischievous. They are curious and get into things, often tearing up what is around them. They wander from the herd and the shepherd.
Those who are sheep care for others. They feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty and clothe the naked. In terms of nations and people, the sheep nations stay close to the shepherd. As a result, they inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world.
Goat nations turn a blind eye. They don’t feed or give drink to those in need.
The Prophetic Warning
This is the part many people miss in this teaching of Jesus. Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 25:40, “…’Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'”
Brethren … who are the brethren?
Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, was a Jew. Jesus was talking to His Jewish brothers, the disciples.
Replacement theology says that the church has replaced Israel, but this is not the case. Israel and the church both have covenants with God. The church is grafted into Israel, not replacing her, and together they are One New Man according to the covenant of Abraham.
Both operate in His kingdom. And when He returns, according to verse 40, how we treat His brethren, the Jewish people, factors into the judgment received.
God wants the Church to know their heritage. He wants Israel and the Church—Jew and Gentile—to be connected and come together in peace as One New Man.
As One New Man Believers, we know the importance of Israel and stand with her. And as the day of the Lord approaches, let us not forget God’s call to be a sheep nation and the words of our Savior … “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” {eoa}
Curt Landry, founder of Curt Landry Ministries, and his wife, Christie, travel extensively, preaching and teaching about the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. Together, their passion is to empower families to live and leave kingdom legacies and understand their own personal heritage.
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