Audio Download

Matthew 25:31–46 Separating the Sheep From the Goats

[Study Aired November 24, 2025]

The study today is centered on the physical appearing of the Lord as the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. This coming will result in the separation of the sheep from the goats. This study is part of the Lord’s warning about His coming so that we are not found wanting at His coming.

Separating the Sheep from the Goats

Mat 25:31  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: 

The Lord Jesus coming in His glory with His holy angels refers to the first resurrection which coincides with the kingdoms of this world becoming the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. The holy angels with Him are the Lord’s elect in every generation who will reign with Christ over the kingdoms of this world for a period symbolized by 1,000 years. 

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 

All of the Lord’s elect who are dead will be raised as they join the Lord’s coming in glory. The Lord’s elect who are still living shall also be changed as they join the Lord at His coming. 

1Th 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 
1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 
1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 
1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

As we are aware, this kingdom of heaven is currently within us, His elect. The Lord’s coming will usher in the outward manifestation of the kingdom of heaven as the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. 

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

During this age of the physical manifestation of the kingdom of heaven, the Lord’s elect shall reign with Christ over the kingdoms of this world. The Lord sitting upon the throne of His glory shows us His kingship status as He rules over the kingdoms of this world with His elect who shall also sit on thrones like Jesus. That is why we, His elect, are described as a royal priesthood. In this age, the royal status of the Lord’s elect has not yet been manifested. However, at His coming, the world will see us as royals.   

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 
Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.  

Mat 25:32  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: 
Mat 25:33  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 

The Lord’s elect who represent the sheep shall be separated from the goats at the Lord’s coming. The dead in Christ shall rise up to meet the Lord, and the elect who are still living shall be changed as they join the Lord at His coming. This is the first resurrection.

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Joh 10:27  My sheep (the Lord’s elect) hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 
Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

The goats signify our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world or Babylon. Setting the sheep on the Lord’s right hand means that the Lord’s elect represents the bride of Christ or the queen as shown in the following verse:

Psa 45:9  Kings’ daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.

It is also important to note that at the right hand of the Lord are pleasures forever more. That is to say that placing the Lord’s elect at the right hand means that we shall be rewarded with pleasures from the Lord. 

Psa 16:11  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. 

Mat 25:34  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: 

Verse 34 shows us that we are blessed of God if we are part of the first resurrection. 

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

As indicated in the Book of Revelation, the requirement for being part of the first resurrection is that we become overcomers. The question is “what are we required to overcome?” The answer is that we are to overcome the wicked one. The wicked one is the devil who gives power to the beast or our flesh. That is to say that the devil works through our flesh. This implies that overcoming the flesh means overcoming the devil. 

1Jn 2:13  I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
1Jn 2:14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast (our flesh): and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 

It is important to note that overcoming the flesh is through the Lord’s judgment of our flesh. The Lord’s judgment is therefore the tool He uses to destroy our flesh, making us overcomers and therefore qualified to inherit the kingdom. Inheriting the kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world means being made rulers of the kingdoms of this world during the thousand-year period after Christ’s coming. 

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 
Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 

Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 

Mat 25:35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 

If we are to understand these verses, then we have to know that Jesus represents us, and therefore if Jesus says that He was hungry, then it means that during our lives here on earth, we were also hungry at a certain stage of our walk with Him. 

Mat 25:44  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 
Mat 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 

The question is, “what does it mean spiritually to be hungry?” To be spiritually hungry means to experience famine of the word of the Lord. 

Amo 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: 
Amo 8:12  And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. 
Amo 8:13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. 

When we were in the churches of this world or Babylon, we experienced famine of the word of the Lord until Christ came to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. It is as we became part of the church of the firstborn that we started being fed with the truth of the word of the Lord through what every joint supplies. This supply is the meat of the word that we receive from our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.   

Being hungry and being fed with meat is spiritually the same as being thirsty and being given drink. This is because being thirsty means absence of the word of the Lord and receiving drink is therefore being fed with the word of the Lord by the Lord’s elect. 

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 

Joh 4:14  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Being strangers indicates that we were without Christ and were therefore strangers from the covenants of promise. However, through Christ, we who were strangers were drawn near to Christ by the blood of Christ, as we become part of the household of God. 

Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 
Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.  

Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 

Mat 25:36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 

Nakedness refers to our sinful state, just as Adam and Eve realized their sinful state and confessed that they were naked. 

Gen 3:9  And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 
Gen 3:10  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 
Gen 3:11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 

To be clothed therefore means to put on the righteousness of Christ, which is achieved through the Lord’s judgment of our old man or flesh as we learn righteousness.

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 

Rom 3:21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 
Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 

Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

To be sick symbolize our sinful state but more specifically, our iniquity. This iniquity refers to trusting or having confidence in our own righteousness, which is offensive to the Lord.

Isa 1:4  Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. 
Isa 1:5  Why should ye be stricken anymore? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

Isa 33:24  And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.

Eze 33:13  When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. 

Visiting the Lord means the Lord coming to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness through His elect. 

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

To be cast into prison means experiencing the Lord’s fiery trial. It is through our fiery trials that the Lord comes to us to sit in the throne of our hearts and minds. 

Rev 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Mat 25:37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 
Mat 25:39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 
Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 

These verses show us that each of the Lord’s elect represents Jesus and therefore any ministration to our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord is the same as ministering to Jesus. On the other hand, if we treat our brothers and sisters badly, we are basically treating the Lord in the same way. An example of this is shown in Paul’s first encounter with the Lord. 

Act 9:1  And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 
Act 9:2  And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 
Act 9:3  And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 
Act 9:4  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 
Act 9:5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.   

We can see here that although Saul was persecuting the disciples of the Lord, he was actually persecuting Jesus. In a similar vein, when we minister to the Lord’s elect, we are ministering to the Lord. 

Mat 25:41  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: 
Mat 25:42  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 
Mat 25:43  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 
Mat 25:44  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 
Mat 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 

We have already explained what it means to be hungry, thirsty, a stranger and being sick. We will therefore turn our focus on what it means to be on the left hand of the Lord in these verses. To do that, let’s take a look at the blessing of Joseph’s sons by His father Jacob. 

Gen 48:9  And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
Gen 48:10  Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them. 
Gen 48:11  And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed. 
Gen 48:12  And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 
Gen 48:13  And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near unto him. 
Gen 48:14  And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. 
Gen 48:15  And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, 
Gen 48:16  The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. 
Gen 48:17  And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head. 
Gen 48:18  And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. 
Gen 48:19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.  

From these verses, we can see that Manasseh was the first born and should have been blessed more by the laying on of Jacob’s right hand. However, by divine providence, Ephraim, the younger son, received more blessing as Jacob placed his right hand on him. We can look at Ephraim as the Lord’s elect who has received mercy at the expense of our brothers and sisters in Babylon.

As indicated in this study, it is the Lord’s elect who are placed at the right hand of the Lord. The left hand therefore symbolizes where our brothers and sisters in Babylon who shall receive mercy from us in the fullness of time in the lake-of-fire age. Just as Jacob told Joseph that the younger shall be greater than the older in Genesis 48:19, we, His elect, shall be greater in terms of the blessing of the Lord’s reward in store for us, than our brothers and sisters in Babylon.   

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 

Mat 25:46  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. 

This verse is one of the verses used by our brothers and sisters in Babylon or the church system of this world to perpetuate the false doctrine of the Lord punishing people forever in the lake of fire. The Greek adjective used for everlasting is “Aionios” (αἰώνιος), which means “age-lasting.” It refers to a long, but finite, period of time, like a specific “age” or “eon.” However, the translators of the Bible erroneously used the word eternal or everlasting. As we have indicated in this parable, those on the left-hand side of the Lord who shall be judged in the lake of fire age represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon. However, the sum of the Lord’s words shows us that all the people of the world from Adam to the coming of Christ in the first resurrection, who do not know Him shall be part of the lake-of-fire age. It is also worth noting that Satan and His cohorts will also be part of the lake of fire age.  

Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. 

Rev 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 

Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 

The righteous represents the Lord’s elect who shall be rewarded at the coming of Christ. 

May His name be praised. Amen!!