The Sheep and the Goats The Future: Don't Miss the Signs 7.12.15 >> God, we look forward to that day when we can see You face to face. Thank You for this privilege to be Your sons and daughters. And this morning we are saying yes to you, Jesus. We are looking to you. Our hearts are tuned in to You, to Your Word. Whatever You say, we will say yes to You. Together, God's people said, amen. You may be seated. >> And as you're seated I want to invite you to take your Bibles and open them back to Matthew 25 and this Sunday and next Sunday will be our last two messages in this series we've been doing through the Olivet Discourse that we've been calling "The Future: Don't Miss the Signs." Now let me real briefly just kind of give you a quick overview of what this passage has been all object. Remember that Jesus gives this is discourse recorded in Matthew 24 and 25 just a couple days before His crucifixion. And He's sitting on the Mount of Olives which is why it's called the Olivet Discourse. And as He's there, He's giving it in response to a question asked Him by His disciples who said, what will be the sign of the end of this age and the beginning of Your kingdom on earth, was basically the question. Now, remember the disciples, they didn't realize that Jesus was going to die, get resurrected, ascend into heaven. That there would be this thing called the church age that's been going on for over 2,000 years now. They were fully expecting Jesus to set up His kingdom immediately. So they said, what's going to be the signs so we don't miss it. In Matthew 24, Jesus gives the signs that will take place before His second coming to establish His kingdom here on earth. Now, I believe that all those signs that we studied in chapter 24 occurred during the tribulation period. I have told you through the series that I think the most literal way to interpret scripture is that the next major event on God's timetable is the rapture of the church, followed by a seven-year tribulation period, followed by the second coming of Jesus to establish His kingdom. And all these signs He gives I believe happen during that seven-year tribulation. Then Jesus told three stories that we studied. All three stories were geared to communicate the same thing. And that was, our need to be ready. Jesus desired that every generation of believers in between His first coming and His second coming would live in a state of perpetual readiness. And we talked about what that meant. Now, today, we get to the last portion of the discourse and this is the portion where Jesus has returned and He now shares with us the first thing He's going to do in establishing His kingdom. You may not have noticed yet. If you haven't, you soon will, that we have entered yet another presidential campaign cycle in our country. Right? And so, we're already beginning to hear from the couple dozen individuals who put their names in, their spiels. And many of them say this. Let me tell you what I'll do the first day in office. Well, that's really what Jesus is doing in this passage. He's sharing with us what He's going to do, the very first thing when He returns at the end of the tribulation in order to establish His kingdom. And the very first thing He's going to do is to judge the people who are alive
on the earth at that time. It's often called the judgment of the nations or the sheep and the goats. And we're going to take the next two Sundays to wrap up this series by talking about what this all includes. So I want to begin this morning by reading Matthew 25:31-33 to get us started. We'll study through the end of the chapter by the end of next week. And in honor of the Word of God, I'm going to ask you to stand with me please as I read. Matthew 25 beginning in verse 31. And here's how Jesus begins this last portion of this discourse. It says, but when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And I want to hit the pause button there for a second because I don't know about you but I'm sure ready for that day. I mean, I am ready for the day when Jesus sits on His throne here on earth, when righteousness wins, when justice prevails, when every wrong is made right. I long for that day. Verse 32 says, and 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 His left. Now, before you sit down, I'd like you to turn to three different people and ask them this question. Are you a sheep or are you a goat? Go ahead and do that right now before you sit down. Well, as you're seated, I want to begin this morning by looking at the reality of this judgment and I want to start by answering six questions to help give us a foundation. Then we'll barely get in this morning to the results of the judgment and we'll finish all of that up next Sunday so I want to begin with six questions. Question 1 is this. At this judgment, who will be the judge? Who will be the judge? Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist. It doesn't even take much of a theologian to figure this one out. It's pretty clear in the text. And in the text, we see three clues as to who the judge is. Clue number one is found in verse 31 where Jesus says, it will be the Son of Man who sits on His glorious throne. So who in the Bible is the Son of Man? Well, the term Son of Man, that title, is the most used title that Jesus used for Himself. Jesus called Himself Son of Man more than He called Himself by any other title. And it's a very fitting title. Back in the book of Ezekiel, it was used to describe a human. But in the book of Daniel, it was used to describe the divine. And that's a beautiful picture of who Jesus is as He walks on earth. He is 100% human and He is 100% God all at the same time. Theologians call it the hypostatic union. Jesus is fully human and He's fully God, and the term Son of Man is a beautiful title to represent that. By the way, during the 400 years in between the giving of the Old Testament and the New Testament, rabbis didn't really use that title at all so it didn't have other connotations to it because of culture. Jesus could pick that title as a fresh title that showed beautifully His nature. 100% man. 100% God. And so, the number one title in the Bible that Jesus uses for Himself is the title Son of Man. So that's a pretty good indication that the judge in this passage is none other than Jesus. There's a second clue. In verse 34 that same judge is called the King. Then the King will say. Now, obviously, this can't be just any king because if all the peoples of all the nations are gathered together at this judgment, whoever is doing the judging has to be over all the other kings. So he has to be one supreme king of the universe. And who in the Bible is the one that we see who is the supreme king?
Well, it's obviously Jesus. Let me show you several passages that show that. Go to 1 Timothy 6. 1 Timothy 6 beginning in verse 13, notice that in this passage God is called the King of kings. 1 Timothy 6 beginning in verse 13. I charge you, Paul says to Timothy, in the presence of God who gives life to all things and of Christ Jesus who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now look at verse 15. Which He will bring about, God will bring about at the proper time. God who is the blessed and only sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. So in the Bible, God is referred to as the Supreme King. The King of all kings. In fact, go to the book of Revelation, chapter 17. The last book of the Bible. If you get to the maps, you went too far. Revelation 17, look at verse 14. And it says this speaking of Jesus. These will wage war against the Lamb, that's Jesus, and the Lamb will overcome them because why? He is Lord of lords and King of all kings. Now go over to chapter 19 and look at verse 16. When Jesus returns at the second coming, we see this description of Him and part of it is this in verse 16. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written and what is the name? King of kings and Lord of lords. So it seems very clear from the text that the judge in this story is none other than Jesus Christ Himself. But there's yet another clue. And the other clue is this. Whoever the judge is, he must have total authority. Right? Because he's judging everyone else. So whoever this judge is, God must have given to him total authority. So who in the Bible did God give total authority to judge? Well, go to John 5. I could just tell you the answer but I want you to see it in the Word of God. John 5, look at verse 20. I'm sorry. Yeah. Let's start in verse 20. John 5:20, here's what Jesus says. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing, and greater works than these will He show Him so that you will marvel, for just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. Now look at chapter 22. For not even The father judges anymore but the Father has given all judgment to who? To the Son. That's why Jesus in Matthew 28 before He ascends into heaven says, all authority has been given to Me. So whoever the judge is, he's called the Son of Man. Jesus used that title for Himself. Whoever the judge is, he is a supreme king. Jesus is called the King of all kings, and whoever the judge is, he has absolute authority. And God the Father has given to Jesus all authority to judge. So I think it's very clear in the text that the judge is none other than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the judge. Now, notice question 2. When will this judgment take place? When does it take place? Well, it says if you go back to Matthew 25 and verse 31, it says it happens when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him. Now, what is that describing? It's describing the second coming. It's describing that event that happens right at the end of the tribulation. How do we know that? Well, back up one chapter. In chapter 24 and verse 30 Jesus talks about that second coming and He uses the same terminology. Look at verse 30, chapter 24. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky and all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of Man, describing His second coming, coming on the clouds of the sky with power and what? Great glory.
So when does this judgment happen? It happens at the second coming of Jesus Christ. The first thing He does as He establishes His kingdom on earth is this judgment of all the nations, all the peoples of the earth. So who's the judge? It's Jesus. When does this judgment happen? At the second coming. Question 3, where will this judgment take place? I mean, He comes to the earth. Where's the judgment going to take place? And the answer is Gaylord, Michigan. No, that's not the answer. The answer, I believe, is Jerusalem. I believe the answer's Jerusalem. Now, why do I say that? Well, notice again that it says in verse 31 of Matthew 25 that when the Son of Man comes, He will sit on His glorious throne. Now, some say that's His heavenly throne. No, He's not in heaven at this time. He's just come back to the earth. This isn't a heavenly throne. This is an earthly throne. Now, what does the Bible teach us about Jesus and an earthly throne? Well, let me read to you a couple passages of scripture that are not on the screen but are worth looking at. In the book of Isaiah 9, when Isaiah talks about the birth of the coming of the Messiah, notice what he says, a very familiar passage, but notice what he says about the throne of the Messiah. It says beginning in verse 6, for a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us. Government will rest on His shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace and on the throne of David He establishes His kingdom. Now, David was the greatest king in the history of Israel, and so I believe that this throne is a throne He will sit on in Jerusalem. In fact, go to Luke 1, if you'd like. In Luke 1, when Gabriel appears to Mary to tell her she's going to have Jesus as a baby, notice what he says to her in verse 32. He says, your baby will be great, will be called the Son of the Most High and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. So I believe that Jesus, during His millennial kingdom, will rule physically on earth from Jerusalem. I believe Jerusalem will be the capital of the world during that time. So I believe the judgment that's being talked about here most likely happens in Jerusalem. But where in Jerusalem? Well, the book of Joel I think gives us a hint. If you want to turn to the book of Joel, it's one of those minor prophets that we often overlook but has just a gold mine in it. Hosea, Joel, Amos. And I want you to look at Joel 3 and look what it says beginning in verse 11, and I think it describes this same judgment being described in Matthew 25. It says, hasten and come all you surrounding nations, gather yourselves there. Bring down, oh Lord, Your mighty ones. Let the nations be aroused and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat means God is judge. The place where God will judge. For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. If you drop down to verse 14, He says, multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. So according to Joel, this judgment will take place in a great valley. He calls it the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Now, there is no literal Valley of Jehoshaphat that we know of. He uses that title because it means God is judge and that's what's going to happen. So, what valley is He referring to? He says it's valley of decision. By the way, it's not man's decision. Man's decision by this time will have already have been made up. This will be God's decision on what to do with man as a result of their decision.
So, what valley is He talking about? Some say, well, He must be talking about the Kidron Valley that separates Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. And He could be. But I've been in that valley. I'm not sure you could get millions of people in that valley. So what valley is He referring to? I believe it's a valley that hasn't even been created yet. And let me show you that. Go to the book of Zechariah. The next to the last book in the Old Testament. Look at chapter 14 and verse 4. It describes the second coming of Jesus, and it says that when Jesus returns His feet are going to touch down on the Mount of Olives. And every time I stand on the Mount of Olives I just think about this day. But notice what happens when His feet hit the Mount of Olives. Zechariah 14:4. In that day, His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which is in front of Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley. So that half of the mountain moves toward the north and half of the mountain moves towards the south. The Mount of Olives splits. It forms this massive valley that is not there today. And I believe that that will be the valley where Jesus will gather all the peoples of the world at that time together for what's called in this story the separating of the sheep from the goats. So who's the judge? It's Jesus. When does the judgment take place? At His second coming. Where does the judgment take place? In Jerusalem and a valley that is yet to be created to the east of the city. Question 4, who will be judged? And this is very important. And notice, again, verse 32 of Matthew 25. It says, all the nations will be gathered before Him. So who will be judged? It says all the nations. Now, don't let that word mislead you because I think there are some who mistakenly say that this is a judgment where Jesus judges nations as a whole. Here are the Russians. Here are the Koreans. Here are the whatever. And that's not it at all. Now, how do we know that's not it? Because according to the end of the passage, those who are punished are punished by being thrown into hell. And no one will go to hell because of their nationality. No one goes to hell because of their ethnicity. The word translated nations is a word that's used throughout the Bible referring to peoples. Humans. So who will be judged on this day? Well, I believe contextually the answer is everyone who is alive on planet earth when Jesus returns will be brought to this valley for judgment. Now, keep in mind, keep in mind that when Jesus returns, there will still be millions of people on the earth. And we'll see in a moment that those people will include both believers and unbelievers because during the tribulation there will be 144,000 Jewish witnesses along with a supernatural angel that will take the gospel to every part of the world and there will be many, many, many people who will put their faith in Jesus during that seven-year tribulation period. Now, most of them will be killed because of their faith. But a large number of them will endure to the end without physical death. So when Jesus returns, you have many people living on the earth, believers and unbelievers alike. And they are all brought to the valley of decision for this judgment. Now, folks, this is not the final judgment. The final judgment happens at the end of the millennial kingdom, the great white throne judgment when everyone who has ever lived stands before God and those whose names are in the Lamb's Book of Life entered the new heavens and the new earth for all of
eternity. But those whose names are not in the Lamb's Book of Life are thrown into the lake of fire for all of eternity. This judgment that happens at the return of Christ is a judgment on all those who are alive on the earth at the time of Jesus return. And that brings us to question 5. What is the purpose of this judgment? And we'll see this more in detail next week but let me just give you a quick answer to that question. The purpose of this judgment is to separate the believers from the unbelievers. That's the purpose of this judgment. Those who are believers will be put in one spot. Those who are unbelievers in another. It's just -- listen. When Jesus comes back, there are only two types of people on the earth. People who have put their faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus and people who have not. And the whole purpose of this judgment is to separate the believers from the unbelievers and believers will now enter the millennial kingdom. They will populate the millennial kingdom while unbelievers are cast into hell. That is the purpose of this judgment and we'll see that more specifically next Sunday. But look at question 6. How will this judgment take place? Well, look again at what it says in verse 32. All the nations will be gathered before Him, all the peoples alive at His return will be gathered before Him and He will separate them from one another as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He'll put the sheep on His right. He'll put the goats on His left. Now, let me talk about this. How does Jesus do this judgment? Well, the Bible says He's going to separate the people of the world into two groups. And I believe those two groups are believers and unbelievers. And Jesus describes this by using an analogy that His disciples fully understood when He said. Now, when I read that analogy to you, you kind of look at each going, what's that all about? Because we don't understand shepherding. We're not shepherds. We don't spend our day around sheep and goats. But in Palestine back then and yet today, shepherding is a huge element of the culture. And the people understood this. And it's true to this day. Shepherds to this day during the day as they're herding their flock from pasture to pasture, they herd sheep and goats together. And so, to this day, when you're driving through Israel and you see a shepherd with his flock on the side, you will see a mixture of sheep and goats. Very, very common. They herd and graze together. However, at the end of the day, a shepherd must separate the sheep from the goats. He must. And here's why. Because sheep are very docile animals. If you remember back to our Psalm 23 series I told you that sheep will not lay down and rest unless they are completely content. If they're hungry, they will not lay down and rest. If they're agitated, they will not lay down and rest. Now, goats aren't the same. Goats are more unruly, obnoxious and constantly stirring things up. Maybe you've heard somebody use the phrase "you old Billy goat." If someone ever calls you a Billy goat, don't thank them. Okay? It wasn't a term of endearment. And what would happen at night if you kept the sheep and the goats together, the goats would be constantly unruly. It would make the sheep agitated. The sheep could not lay down and rest. So a shepherd at the end of the day would have to separate the sheep and the goats. That was a very common practice, to separate the flock into two groups. Excuse me. So Jesus uses that analogy, and says, just like a shepherd at the end of the day separates his flock into two groups of two distinct
differences, so when Jesus returns He will take all the peoples of the world and He will separate them into two distinct differences. Now, folks, listen. This is important. Because when it comes to the most important thing in your life, where you'll spend eternity, there are only two options. There are only two types of people. There are sheep and there are goats. Jesus doesn't divide them into three groups or four groups or five groups. He divides them into two groups. Ladies and gentlemen, earlier I said before you sit down ask three people if they're a sheep or a goat, and the truth of the matter is that everyone in this room is either a sheep or a goat. Now, what's the difference between the two? What is sheep versus goats? Well, in the story, we see it. The sheep represent believers. How do we know that? Because they're ultimately at the end of the chapter rewarded with eternal life. They are believers who have put their faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Remember, during the tribulation, there will be a great multitude of people who will put their faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus. So the sheep represent believers. And what does the Judge do with the sheep? He places them on His right. Now, in our culture today, that doesn't mean much. But in the culture of that day in Israel, the position of the right was the honored position. It was the position of blessing. In fact, you can see this in the Old Testament. We won't take time to look at it but in the Old Testament when they would give the blessing to their children which included the passing of the inheritance, they would always make sure that the right hand was on the oldest son because that was the position of honor and blessing and inheritance. So Jesus takes the sheep, true believers who put their faith in the death and resurrection, He places them on His right, the position of blessing and the position of inheritance. And He takes the goats and they have to represent unbelievers. Why? Because in the last verse of the chapter they end up in eternal punishment. So they have to be unbelievers. And the goats, the unbelievers, are put on His left. The opposite of blessing. The opposite of inheritance. So who's the judge? It's Jesus. When does the judgment take place? At His second coming. Where does the judgment take place? In Jerusalem. And how does the judgment work? Jesus separates the people of the world who are alive at the time into two distinct groups. Believers who have put their faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, they will now get blessed and inherited. And then you have the goats who are unbelievers who will be thrown into hell. Now, let's just briefly get into the results of the judgment and we'll finish it next week. Let's notice, first of all, the sheep. The sheep, remember, represent believers, those who came and put their faith in Jesus during the tribulation. And they are rewarded. And notice how they're rewarded. Look at verse 34. Then the king will say to those on His right, the sheep, the believers, come, you who are blessed of My Father. Remember, the right is the position of blessing. The right is also the position of inheritance. Come, you who are blessed in My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you. So what's their reward? They get to enter the millennial kingdom. Remember, when Jesus comes back, He sets up His kingdom on earth. 1,000-year literal reign of Christ. And who populates that kingdom at the beginning of it? Those who trusted Christ during the tribulation. They now get the inheritance of the kingdom.
You say, is that really a big deal? Well, think about it. They get to enter a kingdom where Jesus physically rules on earth. They get to enter a kingdom where armies of the world destroyed their weapons. Where the lion lies down with the lamb. Where the desert blooms like a garden. Where from the rising of the sun until the setting of the same the name of the Lord is praised. I think that's a pretty good inheritance, don't you? And they get to inherit that and enter the millennial kingdom. By the way, that's not their only inheritance because if you go down to the last verse of the chapter they then receive eternal life. After the millennial kingdom, they enter the new heaven, the new earth with the capital city of the new Jerusalem and we're going to study all about that in the month of September. So the sheep get this amazing reward. It's incredible. Now, why? Why do they get this reward? What is the reason? And I think this is very important for you to know. Because in just a moment, we are not going to get there quiet, but in a moment Jesus is going to list six things that these believers did, six things. And many look at this passage and say, see, you get to heaven by works. They did these six things so they got to heaven. And that is a total misrepresentation of the passage. Ladies and gentlemen, that is not in any way consistent with the whole of scripture. It's obvious from the text that their position was established by God before the foundations of the earth. They were saved the same way you and I are saved today. By faith alone in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. How did people get saved in the Old Testament? Faith. The Bible says Abraham believed God and it was appointed to him as righteousness. In the New Testament, we're taught for by grace you have been saved, through faith and it is not of yourselves. It's a gift of God, not of works, so that no man can boast. We are saved by faith today and in the tribulation period people will be saved by putting their faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus. So, why then does Jesus list these six things? Let's look at them. Look at verse 35. Verse 35. Jesus says, for I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited 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. Now, why would Jesus bring up these six things? Why does He mention them? And I think the answer is this. Not because they were the root of their salvation. They were saved by faith. He uses these six things as the evidence that their faith was real because true, genuine faith always produces fruit. This is the fruit of that faith. They are saved by faith but their faith produced fruit. And Jesus says, here's how I know your faith was genuine. You did these things. Now, by the way, it's really interesting because that's what Jesus is saying here. How did they show the proof of their faith? By doing these six things and it's really -- Jesus makes it personal. Here's what He says. He says when I was hungry, you gave Me, Jesus, food. When I was thirsty, you gave Me, Jesus, a drink. When I didn't have a place to stay, you gave Me, Jesus, lodging. When I was naked, you gave Me, Jesus, clothes. When I was sick and in the hospital, you came and visited Me, Jesus. Now, how I know that these people were not trusting their actions to get them to heaven? Because look at their response in verse 37. Look at it. This is amazing.
Verse 37. Then the righteous will answer Him, Lord, when did we see You hungry? Jesus, I don't even remember that. Jesus, I can't think of a time when I saw You hungry and I gave You a hamburger. I can't think of it. Jesus, when were You thirsty and I gave You a Coca-Cola? When were You without lodging and I said You could sleep in our guest room? When were You naked and I gave You some clothes? They didn't even realize they did it. There's no way they're trusting these actions to get them to heaven. Now, here's what's going to happen. Jesus is going to respond with an amazing statement. He's going to say, listen. When you did these things to My brethren, you did it to Me. Now, we want to be very careful here and here's why. Because I think this is a passage of scripture that gets misused more than most in the Bible. In fact, this week I listened to many, many sermons from people I highly respect who used this passage to teach our need to care for the poor of the world. And when you care for the poor of the world, you're really caring for who? Jesus. Now, don't get me wrong. There are many passages in the Bible that teach the need for us to care for the poor. But, ladies and gentlemen, this ain't one of them. This is not what this passage is teaching. Then who are the brethren? What is the principle it's teaching? Would you like to know? I mean, would you really like to know? Then come back next Sunday and I'll tell you. Stand with me for prayer. Father, I love Your Word. I love to study it. I love how it comes alive. But most of all, I love the fact that it is absolute truth. And what we've studied this morning is really going to happen someday. And I long for that day. As I continue to watch our world, our country, our culture spiraling downward further and further from Your truth, I long for the day, Jesus, when You will come in all of Your glory, when You, King of kings and Lord of lords will sit on Your glorious throne, when You will judge in righteousness, when righteousness wins and justice prevails and the Word of God is honored. I long for that day. And on that day You, Jesus, will separate the peoples of the world into two distinct groups. There will be those who have trusted in Your death and resurrection for their forgiveness of sin and their salvation. And You will place them in a position of honor, a position of blessing, a position of inheritance, and they will enter that millennial kingdom where I believe we, Your church, will rule with You. Wow. But, God, there will also be another distinct group of people and the reality of that group is just as true. Those who have rejected You. Those who have not put their faith in Your sacrifice on the cross. And their fate will then be sealed in hell. So, God, I pray that the truth of this passage would motivate us. People need Jesus. They need to know about Your love. They need to know about Your sacrifice. May the truth of what's coming in the future compel us today as a church to pull out all the stops, to meet as many people as possible right where they are so we can help move them to where You want them to be for we know it's not Your will that any should perish but that all should come to eternal life. So I thank You for Your Word. I thank You for the anticipation of that day. And I echo the words of the Apostle John in the closing chapters of scripture. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. For it's in Your name, we pray, amen. [ Music ]
Oh Jesus come Oh