The "Sheep" and "Goats" Jesus Talked About
(Revised 5-30-2008)
One of the best things about the book of Matthew in the Christian Bible is that it reports that the Christ Jesus said that when the next “son of man” comes to deliver judgment to the world, he shall distinguish between peoples according to their works, deeds and behavior, and set them on one side or the other, as “sheep” and “goats.”
According to Matthew, Jesus said that the future (now current) son of man will explain that the “sheep” on one side are blessed, because they fed him when he was hungry, gave him drink when he was thirsty, took him in when he was a stranger, clothed him when he was poor, cared for him when he was sick, and visited him when he was in prison. But, on the other side he will set the “goats,” who are “cursed” because they have not cared for him like that.
Jesus said that both the people who are blessed and the people who are “cursed” will ask of this son of man, “When did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison?” And the “cursed” people will further ask him, “When did we not minister unto you?”
Then Jesus said that this son of man shall answer them all, saying, “As you have done to the least our brethren, so you have done to me.” (Matthew 25:31‑46)
This is consistent with another thing Jesus said the future son of man would do. Jesus said hypocrites would cry out, "Lord, Lord, have we not cast out devils and done many wonderful works in your name?" But Jesus said the future son of man would say, "I never knew you; depart from me, you that work iniquity."
Of course, in the Christian Bible as we know it, it is written that Jesus said "I will profess to them...," which is one of the many reasons Christians believe Jesus will come again. But, it should be understood for what it really means, and it should be understood that the son of man referred to is not the historical Jesus "come again," nor is he the Lord God.
As I’ve explained on the home page and on the page titled Real Prophecies About the Messenger, Jesus was not speaking of himself but of this current son of man in both those instances, just as he was not speaking of himself when he said the son of man to come would "first be rejected by his generation and suffer many things." (Luke 17:24-25) After all, Jesus was not rejected by his generation, and Jesus said he must "go away and be seen no more."
This son of man has been rejected by his generation, and as the prophet Isaiah foretold, this servant of God will "not cause his voice to be heard in the street," as Jesus did. That is, this son of man will not speak in public but deliver "his work before him," in this message in writing on this web site and in books, even though the message has first and so far been rejected by my generation, just as both Jesus and Isaiah foretold.
Now, it is crucial that everyone understand the real purpose of the statement at the end of that passage in Matthew, that the “cursed goats shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the blessed and the righteous sheep shall go into life eternal.” (Matthew 25:46)
As the Christ Jesus said, judgment is up to the son of man, but when he said that, as in the other instances he was not talking about himself. After all, Jesus said he had come not to judge the world. But he said the son of man to come, the messenger for the Spirit of truth, will issue judgment, guide you unto truth, show you things to come, and glorify the Christ in heaven. And the prophet Isaiah said that the witness and servant of God will deliver judgement. They were both talking about this son of man.
So, as I’ve stated on other pages on this site and in books, my judgment is that the idea of sending people to “eternal hell” is part of the exclusive, punitive and condemning doctrines of patriarchal men who misrepresented Jesus. They are in fact the “doctrines of men” that Jesus warned us about, saying: “In vain they worship me, teaching the doctrines of men.” (Matthew 15:9 and Mark 7:7).
It matters not how well intended the authors of those doctrines were. And it matters not whether those doctrines were created during the first, second, or third century after Jesus died, or during the fourth century when the official Bible was compiled (and in certain instances fabricated). Whenever it was, those doctrines are misleading, erroneous, and ultimately counterproductive.
Why? Because whoever created the misleading and erroneous doctrines of preeminence and superiority apparently thought it would be a good idea to establish the threat of eternal damnation for disobedience to the church, while promising eternal reward in heaven for obedience. But, in fact, the loving, forgiving, merciful Christ Jesus actually did not say anything like that, because he served our loving, forgiving, merciful God. And that is obvious to anyone who truly knows God's Divine Love.
Besides that, as Isaiah wrote, "For thus says the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him that is of a contrite and humbled spirit; to revive the spirit of the humble (and meek), and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." (Isaiah 57:15) That speaks of this son of man, who is that contrite servant of God.
It’s time to realize that the sanctimonious idea of a strict and punitive god was originally created to try to scare the enemies of ancient Israel and encourage the Israelites, and the Christians who were responsible for including that idea in the New Testament gospels perpetuated it for the very same reason. But it is misleading and often counterproductive, just as the rigid rules of strict and punitive parents often produce unruly children. Do you see? Loving parents and our loving God do not threaten eternal damnation to establish obedience and control!
Granted, it is good to establish well defined guidelines and rules of behavior. It is good to insist that they be followed, and to firmly enforce corrective consequences when they are not. However, it is counterproductive to threaten unrealistic or unfair or cruel punishment just to try to prevent bad behavior. Scare tactics rarely work for long, because while you can fool some of the people some of the time, you cannot fool all the people all the time.
Furthermore, those threats of hell and eternal damnation really didn’t prevent bad behavior. That is painfully obvious, considering the state of the world today. In fact, they didn’t even prevent bad behavior by some of those who today proudly claim to be religious, “God-fearing,” faithful and devout Christians, or Muslims, who are supposed to honor the golden rule and other teachings of Jesus and previous Jewish prophets. Instead, they are just like misguided, militant Jewish Israelis, who disobey the commandments to not kill and not covet what others have. Instead, the fight and kill for power, wealth and domain, and take it away from others.
It’s time for common sense and reason to enter into the arena of religion. At long last we should all learn from the truly wise ones throughout history, from both the spiritual and scientific realms, who have simply been ignored and are still ignored by proud right-wing religious theocrats who call themselves Christians, Muslims and Jews.
For example, Albert Einstein said: "I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own - a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. It is enough for me to contemplate the mystery of conscious life perpetuating itself through all eternity, to reflect upon the marvelous structure of the universe which we can dimly perceive and to try humbly to comprehend even an infinitesimal part of the intelligence manifested in Nature."
Of course, we are rewarded and punished in some ways, since we reap what we sow on this earth, and we experience the consequences for our words and actions and behavior, for better or worse. However, we earn the rewards and we bring the consequences on ourselves, and Einstein was quite correct that it is not God who is responsible for that. (See the page on Wisdom, which speaks to that issue.)
Einstein also said: “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” And "All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom."
God’s witness and true servant and messenger confirms those facts. And, fortunately for all those who have been creating so much conflict, division, trouble, violence, death and destruction, even though the messenger must deliver the prophesied judgment to expose and rebuke them, the message from God and the Spirit of truth is designed not to condemn, but to educate; not to punish, but to correct; and not to destroy, but to save.
Furthermore, the prophet Isaiah was quite correct when he foresaw that the current son of man, the witness and servant of God, will “revive the heart of the contrite ones,” because he is “of a contrite and humbled spirit” himself. In other words, rather than be “holier than thou,” he is a prodigal son of man who fully acknowledges the error of some of his former ways. And even though he must judge, expose and rebuke divisive and harmful leadership, he is compassionate and understands that God will forgive those who are humbled and contrite of spirit.
"For thus says the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him that is of a contrite and humbled spirit; to revive the spirit of the humble (and meek), and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always angry. For the iniquity of his covetousness was I angry, and struck him. I hid me, and was angry, and he went on willfully in the ways of his heart. (But) I have seen his ways, and I will lead him..." (Isaiah 57:15-17)
Even so, the “cursed goats” must be rebuked for being selfish, uncaring, bigoted, and hypocritical, -- even those who have thought they were righteous and holy servants of God. For you see, as Matthew puts it, Jesus said: “Not every one that prays to the Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.” And he clarified that some of the “goats” and some of the hypocrites would be those who’ve been praying to the Lord.
That is why Jesus said that many of those rebuked (or “cursed”) will cry out to heaven and say, “Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? And in your name have we not cast out devils? And in your name have we not done many wonderful works?”
But Jesus said, “And then will I say to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you that commit iniquity and wrong doing.” (Matthew 7:21‑23) For “Even though you outwardly appear righteous to men, you are inwardly full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” (Matthew 23:28)
The book of Matthew and other gospels are essentially correct about the deserved rebuke of religious bigots and hypocrites, and the deserved rebuke of greedy, selfish people in general. However, the phrase “then will I say to them” is not literal, because it is not Jesus himself who rebukes them. As I’ve mentioned and discussed on other pages more fully, even though the gospels sometimes use language that makes it seem that Jesus himself will be the son of man who comes to fulfill prophecy, that notion is not correct. It is contradictory to all literal Judaic prophecies in the Old Testament, and it is contradictory to many things that Jesus actually did say, some of which were even recorded in the New Testament gospels. (See the main page and the pages titled Real Prophecies About the Messenger, Christians Divided, The Martyrdom of Jesus, and The Plant of Renown, which help to explain that.)
So I implore you. Please be “sheep,” not “goats.” Treat all others as you would want to be treated if you were them.
But, keep in mind that the “goats” are not “evil.” Many of them have merely been misguided by false prophets and false shepherds and have not realized their error because they’ve been told they are righteous and holy servants of God or Allah. But they have instead served Mammon and they have been self-righteous, arrogantly proud, militant, and even murderous.
Of course, some “goats” are not religious bigots and hypocrites. Some are just wayward people who have allowed themselves to become bitter, hateful, vengeful, selfish, larcenous, and even murderous.
Whatever and whoever they are, please keep in mind that the "goat" is a symbol for spirit of the Anti-Christ, which Jesus said is "even now in the world" (see the page on The Fall of Babylon, which discussed the Anti-Christ and the Beast of Babylon). The spirit of the "Antichrist" influences people who are egocentric, self-important, self-righteous, greedy, selfish and judgmental, and especially people who are hateful and violent. We can all be tempted by that spirit, and we are all susceptible to it. Thus we are all capable of committing terrible evils, just as we are all capable of doing great good. It is our choice, and it is made in our own mind, which is why a healthy conscience is so helpful.
Also keep in mind that the goat is also a symbol for “Satan,” which at its worst is merely the lowest, cruelest and most selfish state of human consciousness.
One of the best things about the book of Matthew in the Christian Bible is that it reports that the Christ Jesus said that when the next “son of man” comes to deliver judgment to the world, he shall distinguish between peoples according to their works, deeds and behavior, and set them on one side or the other, as “sheep” and “goats.”
According to Matthew, Jesus said that the future (now current) son of man will explain that the “sheep” on one side are blessed, because they fed him when he was hungry, gave him drink when he was thirsty, took him in when he was a stranger, clothed him when he was poor, cared for him when he was sick, and visited him when he was in prison. But, on the other side he will set the “goats,” who are “cursed” because they have not cared for him like that.
Jesus said that both the people who are blessed and the people who are “cursed” will ask of this son of man, “When did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison?” And the “cursed” people will further ask him, “When did we not minister unto you?”
Then Jesus said that this son of man shall answer them all, saying, “As you have done to the least our brethren, so you have done to me.” (Matthew 25:31‑46)
As I’ve explained on the home page and on the page titled Real Prophecies About the Messenger, Jesus was not speaking of himself but of this current son of man in both those instances, just as he was not speaking of himself when he said the son of man to come would "first be rejected by his generation and suffer many things." (Luke 17:24-25) After all, Jesus was not rejected by his generation, and Jesus said he must "go away and be seen no more."
This son of man has been rejected by his generation, and as the prophet Isaiah foretold, this servant of God will "not cause his voice to be heard in the street," as Jesus did. That is, this son of man will not speak in public but deliver "his work before him," in this message in writing on this web site and in books, even though the message has first and so far been rejected by my generation, just as both Jesus and Isaiah foretold.
Now, it is crucial that everyone understand the real purpose of the statement at the end of that passage in Matthew, that the “cursed goats shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the blessed and the righteous sheep shall go into life eternal.” (Matthew 25:46)
As the Christ Jesus said, judgment is up to the son of man, but when he said that, as in the other instances he was not talking about himself. After all, Jesus said he had come not to judge the world. But he said the son of man to come, the messenger for the Spirit of truth, will issue judgment, guide you unto truth, show you things to come, and glorify the Christ in heaven. And the prophet Isaiah said that the witness and servant of God will deliver judgement. They were both talking about this son of man.
So, as I’ve stated on other pages on this site and in books, my judgment is that the idea of sending people to “eternal hell” is part of the exclusive, punitive and condemning doctrines of patriarchal men who misrepresented Jesus. They are in fact the “doctrines of men” that Jesus warned us about, saying: “In vain they worship me, teaching the doctrines of men.” (Matthew 15:9 and Mark 7:7).
It matters not how well intended the authors of those doctrines were. And it matters not whether those doctrines were created during the first, second, or third century after Jesus died, or during the fourth century when the official Bible was compiled (and in certain instances fabricated). Whenever it was, those doctrines are misleading, erroneous, and ultimately counterproductive.
Why? Because whoever created the misleading and erroneous doctrines of preeminence and superiority apparently thought it would be a good idea to establish the threat of eternal damnation for disobedience to the church, while promising eternal reward in heaven for obedience. But, in fact, the loving, forgiving, merciful Christ Jesus actually did not say anything like that, because he served our loving, forgiving, merciful God. And that is obvious to anyone who truly knows God's Divine Love.
It’s time to realize that the sanctimonious idea of a strict and punitive god was originally created to try to scare the enemies of ancient Israel and encourage the Israelites, and the Christians who were responsible for including that idea in the New Testament gospels perpetuated it for the very same reason. But it is misleading and often counterproductive, just as the rigid rules of strict and punitive parents often produce unruly children. Do you see? Loving parents and our loving God do not threaten eternal damnation to establish obedience and control!
Granted, it is good to establish well defined guidelines and rules of behavior. It is good to insist that they be followed, and to firmly enforce corrective consequences when they are not. However, it is counterproductive to threaten unrealistic or unfair or cruel punishment just to try to prevent bad behavior. Scare tactics rarely work for long, because while you can fool some of the people some of the time, you cannot fool all the people all the time.
Furthermore, those threats of hell and eternal damnation really didn’t prevent bad behavior. That is painfully obvious, considering the state of the world today. In fact, they didn’t even prevent bad behavior by some of those who today proudly claim to be religious, “God-fearing,” faithful and devout Christians, or Muslims, who are supposed to honor the golden rule and other teachings of Jesus and previous Jewish prophets. Instead, they are just like misguided, militant Jewish Israelis, who disobey the commandments to not kill and not covet what others have. Instead, the fight and kill for power, wealth and domain, and take it away from others.
It’s time for common sense and reason to enter into the arena of religion. At long last we should all learn from the truly wise ones throughout history, from both the spiritual and scientific realms, who have simply been ignored and are still ignored by proud right-wing religious theocrats who call themselves Christians, Muslims and Jews.
For example, Albert Einstein said: "I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own - a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. It is enough for me to contemplate the mystery of conscious life perpetuating itself through all eternity, to reflect upon the marvelous structure of the universe which we can dimly perceive and to try humbly to comprehend even an infinitesimal part of the intelligence manifested in Nature."
Of course, we are rewarded and punished in some ways, since we reap what we sow on this earth, and we experience the consequences for our words and actions and behavior, for better or worse. However, we earn the rewards and we bring the consequences on ourselves, and Einstein was quite correct that it is not God who is responsible for that. (See the page on Wisdom, which speaks to that issue.)
Einstein also said: “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” And "All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom."
God’s witness and true servant and messenger confirms those facts. And, fortunately for all those who have been creating so much conflict, division, trouble, violence, death and destruction, even though the messenger must deliver the prophesied judgment to expose and rebuke them, the message from God and the Spirit of truth is designed not to condemn, but to educate; not to punish, but to correct; and not to destroy, but to save.
Furthermore, the prophet Isaiah was quite correct when he foresaw that the current son of man, the witness and servant of God, will “revive the heart of the contrite ones,” because he is “of a contrite and humbled spirit” himself. In other words, rather than be “holier than thou,” he is a prodigal son of man who fully acknowledges the error of some of his former ways. And even though he must judge, expose and rebuke divisive and harmful leadership, he is compassionate and understands that God will forgive those who are humbled and contrite of spirit.
"For thus says the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him that is of a contrite and humbled spirit; to revive the spirit of the humble (and meek), and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always angry. For the iniquity of his covetousness was I angry, and struck him. I hid me, and was angry, and he went on willfully in the ways of his heart. (But) I have seen his ways, and I will lead him..." (Isaiah 57:15-17)
Even so, the “cursed goats” must be rebuked for being selfish, uncaring, bigoted, and hypocritical, -- even those who have thought they were righteous and holy servants of God. For you see, as Matthew puts it, Jesus said: “Not every one that prays to the Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.” And he clarified that some of the “goats” and some of the hypocrites would be those who’ve been praying to the Lord.
That is why Jesus said that many of those rebuked (or “cursed”) will cry out to heaven and say, “Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? And in your name have we not cast out devils? And in your name have we not done many wonderful works?”
But Jesus said, “And then will I say to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you that commit iniquity and wrong doing.” (Matthew 7:21‑23) For “Even though you outwardly appear righteous to men, you are inwardly full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” (Matthew 23:28)
The book of Matthew and other gospels are essentially correct about the deserved rebuke of religious bigots and hypocrites, and the deserved rebuke of greedy, selfish people in general. However, the phrase “then will I say to them” is not literal, because it is not Jesus himself who rebukes them. As I’ve mentioned and discussed on other pages more fully, even though the gospels sometimes use language that makes it seem that Jesus himself will be the son of man who comes to fulfill prophecy, that notion is not correct. It is contradictory to all literal Judaic prophecies in the Old Testament, and it is contradictory to many things that Jesus actually did say, some of which were even recorded in the New Testament gospels. (See the main page and the pages titled Real Prophecies About the Messenger, Christians Divided, The Martyrdom of Jesus, and The Plant of Renown, which help to explain that.)
So I implore you. Please be “sheep,” not “goats.” Treat all others as you would want to be treated if you were them.
But, keep in mind that the “goats” are not “evil.” Many of them have merely been misguided by false prophets and false shepherds and have not realized their error because they’ve been told they are righteous and holy servants of God or Allah. But they have instead served Mammon and they have been self-righteous, arrogantly proud, militant, and even murderous.
Of course, some “goats” are not religious bigots and hypocrites. Some are just wayward people who have allowed themselves to become bitter, hateful, vengeful, selfish, larcenous, and even murderous.
Whatever and whoever they are, please keep in mind that the "goat" is a symbol for spirit of the Anti-Christ, which Jesus said is "even now in the world" (see the page on The Fall of Babylon, which discussed the Anti-Christ and the Beast of Babylon). The spirit of the "Antichrist" influences people who are egocentric, self-important, self-righteous, greedy, selfish and judgmental, and especially people who are hateful and violent. We can all be tempted by that spirit, and we are all susceptible to it. Thus we are all capable of committing terrible evils, just as we are all capable of doing great good. It is our choice, and it is made in our own mind, which is why a healthy conscience is so helpful.
Also keep in mind that the goat is also a symbol for “Satan,” which at its worst is merely the lowest, cruelest and most selfish state of human consciousness.
That is why Key 15 of the Sacred Tarot is titled The Devil, which is discussed in my third book, Getting From Babylon to New Jerusalem, and also on the page on this site title Another Prophecy. Key 15 depicts a grotesque and scary goat-like figure, but, ironically, the main concept attributed to that Key is mirth or hilarity, because it merely represents deceptive falsehood and the delusion or illusion of outward superficial appearances, as well as bondage to falsehood and delusion. Those blessed with Wisdom see it as amusing and ironic, even though it can be deadly serious.
After all, misguided people who unwittingly suffer from egocentric delusion do very greedy and even terribly evil things, or commit sins of omission out of carelessness and selfishness. But, they themselves are not “evil.” They are merely misguided, self-centered, egocentric, and deluded. But they can repent and choose a path of contrition, reconciliation, redemption, and unity. It is never too late.
So, again, please abide by the golden rule and the universal divine imperative. Be on the correct side with those who are loving, fair, just, generous, caring, charitable, forgiving, tolerant, and peaceful.
Also please forsake or ignore those who are not and refuse to face the truth. Have compassion for them, though, because if they refuse to face the truth they will set themselves up for terrible conflict in their own mind. Their ego and their conscience will increasingly be at war, and while they will rant and rage in a desperate attempt to save face, they will ultimately have to face the truth. So we should only feel sorry for them.
Have faith and courage. We shall overcome.
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