One of the most confused topics in Christian Doctrine is the matter of the sheep and the goats. The main cause of this confusion is due to the simply saved and lost framework for interpreting scripture.
1Co 10:32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God.
To rightly divide the word of truth, we must properly deal with each of the three groups listed. If this is overlooked by a particular doctrinal position; it will be completely impossible to come to the right conclusion on many subjects in scripture, which brings us to this amazingly confused and corrupted and blinded articulation by the best of teachers in Christianity.
The sheep and the goats are set apart from the gathered Nations at the end of the tribulation. Those of the Nations who survived the tribulation are gathered to be Judged here on earth. A more familiar word for us regarding the Nations, is gentiles.
For a more detailed explanation; go to the book The Husbandman’s Field Final reaping details. As here we will supply a few key points to get us started on solving this completely misunderstood passage.
The book is on this website, you can read it for free!
1. The group brought together are referred to as the Nations or the gentiles, or in the three people groups listed the Greeks.
Neither group of people are referred to as the Lord’s people or believers. See a large dealing with the nations in the book. Therefore none of these people are saved, as some need to assume due to their doctrinal package.
Therefore, if none of these Nations are born again believers, then none can be born again mortals which go into the Millennium. This thought is supported by many, due to the narrow view that only born again people will go into the Millennium.
The reason for concluding that these are born again mortals is due to several problems with for example; the pre- trib. dispensational doctrinal package.
As they believe that only born again believers can enter the Millennium, however they struggle with the reality from Is 65 where it clearly indicates that there will be procreation in the Millennial period. This is why they state that these born again believers will be mortals, which deviates the revelation concerning this matter.
Acts 3:21 “whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
This passage holds a wealth of light as to the constitution of the sheep as selected by the Lord.
We know that during the Millennium there will be a great restoration, of all things and many scriptures refer to this wonderful time.
Some brief detail here:
A. None of the sheep are born again, as they are all selected from the Nations which are gathered to be Judged.
B. They are chosen due to their care for the Lord’s brothers.
C. They must have believed the everlasting gospel preached by the Angel, to Fear God, Give Him Glory and Worship Him, rather than the Anti christ.
D. The brothers of the Lord are not categorically Jews, as dispensationalism presents, but rather are the Lord’s brothers who were sent into the tribulation to buy the lacking oil in their vessel. Matt 25: 8 “And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 “But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
E. Mt 25:34 “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:
Please note several distinctions here.
1. It says blessed of my father, not your Father,
Whereas with Mary; Jesus said I go to my father and your father, my God and your God.
2. He says that this kingdom has been prepared from the foundation of the world, which is in stark contrast to the believer.
3. Eph 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. The believers were chosen before the foundation of the world.
4. These restored sheep, then go into the Millennial Kingdom not as born again, but rather simply restored to something like pre-fall condition, and are declared righteous for their care of the Lord’s brothers.
None of these sheep however are born again, and do not have eternal life, and as such are humans, who can naturally procreate, sin die, grow old and eventually potentially rebel with Satan, when he is loosed from the bottomless pit at the end of the
Millenium, and goes up to stir up the Nations against the camp of the saints on the earth.
Lets now follow the trail of these sheep, as restored but not born again people who do not have eternal life. During the one thousand years of the Millennium they will repopulate the earth. Rev 20:7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison.
8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.
9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.
Those sheep of the Nations who do not rebel and be judged by the Lord will then go into eternity as the Nations. How do we know this?
These will be judged at the Great White throne out of the “books were opened” and not from the book of life.
This is profound and completely missed in denominational Christianity. Although it has been completely preached in the 1800 hundreds but rejected, choosing rather to accept an unbiblical
fantasy of heaven, and Mansions in a heaven which is going to burn up!
The leaves of the Tree
lets see what scripture reveals. Re 22:2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
These sheep Nations although restored do not have Eternal Life, and as such are by some means continually healed by the leaves of the tree of life in eternity. This is profoundly mysterious and grand at the same time.
Re 21:24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.
Another contrast
2 Cor 6:16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”
With the believer He will dwell in them.
Re 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. The men are the sheep restored but not born again whom He will be with but not in.
Saints, this tabernacle is the corporate totality of all of the redeemed from all ages as the tabernacle of God, with men. The tabernacle of God is the mutual abode of God with His redeemed transformed and glorifies saints from all ages. And the men are the restored Nations who will receive the continuous healing of the leaves of the tree of life Whereas with the Nations, He is with them and will dwell with, but not in them.
Re 21:24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.
We get tripped up when we see the phrase, are saved. This does not mean born again. Lets see what it refers to.
During the tribulation these sheep cared for the Lord’s immature brothers, and heeded the everlasting gospel preached by an Angel. This was their first saving. Secondly, they went into the Millennial time fully capable of sinning, and being dealt with by the rod of Iron, or possibly going up against the camp of the saints under the stirring up of Satan when he is released from the bottomless pit. They have been saved in the context of being
separated as sheep, and not be cast into the lake of fire, then they have been saved from the wrath, by not being disobedient and finally the are saved, or preserved for not joining Satan when he stirs up the Nations to go up against the camp of the saints and are thus consumed.
The word saved has many uses and applications, we need to understand this for our great help.
The Jews the Greeks and the church of God. These three must be addressed to unravel the mysteries In scripture. The matter of the Jews is a large subject in itself for another time.
In eternity there will be all of the redeemed transformed and glorified saints, along with the Nations who receive the continuous healing of the leaves of the tree of life, which is a profound and deep mystery, which we must mine.
God’s Eternal purpose is spectacular, and largely missed by the majority of Christians due to the gatekeepers who refuse to speak the whole council of God, nor humble themselves and ask.
For more detail read the book here on line! The Husbandman’s Field final reaping details
Dave