The Sheep and the Goats or "The Judgement of the Nations" was a discourse of Jesus recorded in the New Testament. This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... This article is about the Christian scriptures. ...

One theory is that it tells of the judgment, see also Last Judgment, and division of all the world's people into the blessed, who are welcomed by the Father, and the cursed, who are cast out. The division is entirely based on the acts of kindness and mercy done by people to their disadvantaged fellow men; Jesus identifies such kindness with kindness towards himself. This article is about the Christian concept. ... In many religions, the supreme God is given the title and attributions of Father. ...

From Matthew 25:31–46 (NRSV) This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

31 ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 37 Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” 40And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,* you did it to me.”’

41 ‘Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” 44 Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” 45 Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’

This passage is widely quoted by those who assert that ones actions ('works') are significant in relation to one's salvation. See also Justification (theology). ^{[citation needed]} Others deny that this is a gospel based only upon man's good works. They point to the context of the judgment which is the Apocalypse at the end of the age. They see it as a judgment not for entry into heaven but rather for entry into the Millennium in which Christ comes to rule as Messiah. The coming Messiah has the right to admit those whom He wills. And here we have a huge number of people left at the end of the tribulations of the last days who have not come to know Christ personally. The sheep in the parable are not in direct personal covenant with Christ. And so they are surprised to hear Christ say that they had done things that had shown Him blood covenant loving-kindness. They ask Him how this could be. The answer Christ gives is heart warming and explains basis for the favor and the mercy given to the sheep. Christ is referring to actions of mercy undertaken for His covenant people in their time of tribulation. He says, "inasmuch as you did it, (showed covenant loving-kindness), to the least of these my brethren, (those whom He is in covenant with), you did it to me". This reveals a second order blood covenant connection between the sheep and Messiah. This covenant is enacted through a third party. It is not sufficient for entry into heaven. But it is the basis upon which the sheep are given favor and a passport into the Millennium of Messiah. Eternal can refer to: The British R&B group Eternal Eternals, the Marvel Comics characters created by Jack Kirby The eternity puzzle The concept of eternity The philosophical notion of the incorporeal, or immaterial realm. ... The Harrowing of Hell as depicted by Fra Angelico In Christian theology, justification is Gods act of declaring or making a sinner righteous before God. ... Look up Apocalypse in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Another interpretation is advanced by progressive Christians who see in the passage a confirmation of the economic basis of judgement, whereas societies that prioritize the health and welfare of the most vulnerable will be judged favourably, while regimes that do little to remedy inequalities will not. ^{[citation needed]} These verses may also be read to support the philosophies of Christian-leaning pantheists, pandeists, and particularly panentheists who read the statement that "you did it to me" or "you did not do it to me" to mean that because God's presence in all things, God shares awareness of the physical experience of those who are helped or harmed.^[1] Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Christian socialism generally refers to those... Pantheism literally means God is All and All is God. It is the view that everything is of an all-encompassing immanent God; or that the universe, or nature, and God are equivalent. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Panentheism (Greek words: pan=all and Theos=God) is the view that God is immanent within all creation and that the universe is part of God or that God is the animating force behind the universe. ...

The division of a flock into sheep and goats would be a well-known happening in Jesus time, sheep and goats being much more similar-looking than the modern day animals.

See also

• Corporal works of mercy

The Works of Mercy or Acts of Mercy are actions and practices which the Catholic Church considers expectations to be fulfilled by believers. ...

Notes