Standing Before God

Mathew 25: 31-34,41,46

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 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:

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

1. The Sheep and the Goat – Definition?

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Qualities of the Sheep:

• Sheep are gentle, quiet, and innocent animals. They are affectionate and non-aggressive. Sheep rarely give the shepherd (their leader) any problems.
• Sheep also enjoy still waters. They do not like to drink from agitated waters. This means that they are not quick to be where there is strife, arguing, dissension or turmoil.
• Sheep are more domesticated.
• Sheep are gentle, quiet and easily led – Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
• Sheep are passive.
• The symbolism is that sheep need a shepherd.
• Sheep are commonly used throughout the Bible to refer to God’s people and there is a lot symbolic meaning given towards the comparisons. Psalm 95:6-7 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. 7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,

 

Qualities of the Goat:

• Goats on the other hand are not, they cause a lot of problems.
• Goats are smarter than sheep but this has a downside. Goats tend to depend on themselves instead of depending upon a shepherd
• Goats are pushy, self-sufficient, and headstrong
• Goats are quarrelsome and have short tempers. They rear and butt in order to establish their dominance.

The sheep were considered children of God and the goats were not, even though they could be together in the same herd, Jesus said that when He returns He is going to separate them.