The "Sheep" and "Goats" Jesus Talked About

(Revised 11-11-2009)

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. (See the page titled Prophecies Re: The "One To Come," for explanation of who and what this son of man is.)

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 that when this son of man exposes and rebukes the hypocrites, they would cry out to heaven, saying: "Lord, Lord, have we not cast out devils and done many wonderful works in your name?" But Jesus said this future son of man would say, "I never knew you, depart from me, you that work iniquity."

Those on the political right are the goats because they usually represent the powerful wealthy few who seek power and control because of their arrogance, self-righteousness, self-importance, and self-interest. On the other hand, those on the political left are the "sheep," who are usually motivated by the best interests of the vast majority, the poor and the least of our brethren, and are advocates of peace. In the sixties they were called "doves," opposed by "hawks" who were right-wing militants.

Of course, the Christian Right will quickly point out that in the Christian Bible as we know it, the authors (or later copiers or revisionists) wrote that the "Son of man shall sit upon the throne of his glory, and as King shall say unto them ..." They also wrote that Jesus said: "I will profess to them [the sheep and goats], As you have done to the least our brethren, so you have done to me."

That is one of the several reasons Christians believe Jesus will come again, this time as a worldly King. But, Jesus did not actually say he would come again. In fact, he said he had to go away and be seen no more on earth. He said humanity at that time was not yet ready for the most crucial truths. But he said another son of man, the messenger for the Spirit of truth would come at the end of the age, to issue judgment, guide you unto the truth, show you things to come, and glorify the Christ in heaven.

It should be understood that the son of man referred to in Judaic (OT) scriptures and in certain instances in Christian scriptures is not the historical Jesus "come again," nor is he the Lord God. God is not a man, nor a son of man. In biblical terms, a son of man is a witness and servant of God. And the modern son of man bears testimony of the Spirit of truth, the Ancient One, the "Alpha and Omega," also known as the Christ-Avatar-Buddha-Saoshyant, who is in heaven with the Lord God.

When Jesus used the words "I will rebuke them..." he meant his testimony and the Spirit of truth will rebuke them, as he also said and as I have explained on other pages. It was one of many instances where Jesus spoke as the Ancient One, for the Ancient One. That’s why Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I am." He spoke as the Ancient One who is in heaven with God, but he did not speak as God. In fact, Jesus also said: "Of myself I do nothing, but the will of the One who sent me, our God in heaven."

You see, as I’ve explained on the home page and on the page titled Prophecies Re: The "One To Come," in certain instances Jesus was not speaking of himself, but of this current son of man, 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 suffered only at the end of his life. And Jesus said he must "go away and be seen no more." (John 16:7-15)

This modern son of man identifies with and also represents the one who says: "Worship me not. I am your fellow servant and brother who has the testimony of Jesus. Worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:9-10)

Moreover, the modern son of man knows how the poor and the least of our brethren have been treated, because he has been here since 1941, witnessed God in 1971, traveled extensively across and around America from 1974 to 1979, both on foot as a wandering ascetic, and by vehicle after he was first stricken and afflicted, then realized his mission in 1979, but has been rejected by his generation.

This son of man has been rejected by his generation partly because, 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," as Isaiah put it. And his work is in this message in writing in books and on this web site (which is delivered electronically, as "lightening", as Jesus put it), 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, he that is the contrite servant of God and tells you that God will forgive all those who acknowledge the error of their ways, repent, and start treating all other human beings as they would want to be treated.

However, I confess I do not know what happens in the "afterlife." I do know what it’s like to be carried away in spirit to that "high and holy place where God inhabits eternity" and go into the Divine Light, and I know the Light of God is very real. I bear witness to it. But I doubt that the departed spirit-souls of people who have committed terrible crimes and caused others terrible harm or loss will go into the Light, at least not until they realize the truth. I suspect they are bound in a kind of spiritual limbo state, until they realize and confess their sins and realize divine will and intent. But I really do not think they are "sent to hell for eternity." The God I know is firm but merciful and forgiving, and part of my mission is to comfort those who are repentant and contrite.

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. There are about two billion Christians in the world today, and much of the trouble in the world has been caused by those who claim to be Christians. In fact, threats of hell have not prevented bad behavior by some of those who today proudly claim to be religious, "God-fearing," faithful and devout Christians, or Muslims (who are also 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.

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.

Part of the problem is that the self-righteous, sanctimonious, patriarchal, right-wing partisan political leaders of the Christian Right cling to the notion that rigid discipline, self-control and self-reliance are essential "moral" qualities. That "moral" patriarchal logic holds that discipline is learned by being punished for not being disciplined and self-reliant. Such logic gets distorted, however, when the "moral" patriarch claims that receiving public assistance means that one lacks discipline and self-reliance and is therefore not "moral." That logic gets even more distorted when it assumes that if a person is not prosperous, he is not disciplined enough to be prosperous and therefore deserves to live in poverty. Such uncaring logic consequently assumes that social programs and public assistance give people things they haven't earned, thereby lessening people's incentive to be disciplined and "moral." But such logic is not only flawed and uncaring. It ignores the golden rule and the advice of Jesus to care for the poor and the least of our brethren. Furthermore, it is simply erroneous and ignorant of the facts regarding poverty and its causes. (See the page on Poverty: America’s Hidden Shame.)

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.