by Dr. Ralph L. Keiper
SHEEP AND GOATS
I N the W ord of G od , we have a very graphic picture of the judgment of the nations which shall transpire in the days ahead. The word “nations” can be taken in a two-fold sense. In the Old Testament, it referred to any countries which were not of Israel but which were Gentile. In another sense, however, the word “nation” may be construed as a political unit. Here in the Olivet Discourse, Mat thew 25:31-46, we find that the na tions are spoken of as “sheep and goats.” To begin the present picture the Lord prophesies, “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.” Notice the little a d v e rb “when.” It indicates that these vari ous events He has been describing must occur simultaneously. This word is a paradoxical term for it suggests definiteness. It not only means that He is coming, but also there is an as pect of indefiniteness. No specific time is actually given. When He comes again, however, it will not be in humiliation as the first time, but with power and great glory. He shall come in kingly majesty. The world will then recognize Him as the Lord of lords. The judgment is suggested in verse 32, “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd di- videth his sheep from the goats.” The Bible gives us a definite distinction between sheep and goats. Palestine was an agricultural country and many people had both types of animals. The two animals could never be bred to gether. They automatically separated themselves from one another. The two had to be fed and watered at differ ent times. It is a spiritual fact that there are righteous and unrighteous people in the world. There is a certain sense in which they may be tended
together, but never can they truly be bred together. This is because they are of extremely different natures. The analogy is a perfectly natural one for the Lord to use. This is the principle of separation, not according to our standards, but rather by God who is the sovereign Judge. The sheep are the righteous, and the goats the unrighteous. Look at their position as we read, “And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.” There is a certain parallel between THE STRANGE THINGS Some things my Father sends me, I cannot understand; Some things that He allows me, Seem strange, as from His hand. The frequent wounds and bruises, That bring me inward pain, Seem nought to me but loses. Without a trace of gain. No gain? Ah, I'd forgotten My Father's faithful word, That all things work for blessing, To them that love the Lord. Shall not I take the "strange things," That He is pleased to send, As blessings, shaped and tempered By His own loving hand. — L. W. Beckley the story of the ten virgins and this judgment. We have the difference be tween possession on one hand and rrtere profession on the other. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ has a personal angle which is emphasized again and again. It also has a social angle, however, which, unfortunately, we all too often overlook and under play. Not only do we have a personal responsibility toward God, but also we have a social responsibility to those about us, beginning with the house- 9
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