The Sheep and Goats Judgment

The second judgment will be the sheep and goats judgment. This judgment will occur after the Tribulation period that will end with the second coming of Christ. This judgment is for everyone that lived through the tribulation period.
In arid lands, Shepherds often grazed the sheep and goats together. During the night, when the temperatures got colder, the goats were put into a shelter because they were would freeze without the warm woolly coat of a sheep. Sheep are docile animals that are easily led to green pastures, on the other hand, goats are known for being stubborn and not wanting to obey. When we look at these characteristics, we can relate them to a person that eagerly follows God and someone that prefers to do whatever they want and not obey anyone.

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46

When Jesus returns and Satan has been bound for a thousand years in a pit, it will then be time to judge those that survived the tribulation period. The purpose of this judgment is to determine who is worthy to enter the millennial  kingdom. 

The sheep represent the people that came to believe in the Lord after the rapture and did not take the mark of the beast and follow the Antichrist. The goats represent those people that did not come to faith in the Lord during this time and many of them did take the mark of the beast and have followed the Antichrist.  Jesus separates the sheep on his right hand side, and these people will be going into the millennial kingdom. The goats will go to eternal punishment. 
The main part of this judgment is God’s people, the Jews. During the tribulation, Satan and the Antichrist will make an all out effort to finally destroy the Jews.
¹³ When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. Revelation 12:13
The woman in this verse is Israel, and the male child referred to in this verse is Jesus. At around the midpoint of the tribulation, Satan is thrown out of heaven. Up to this point, Satan had been allowed into heaven as the “accuser of the brethren”.

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

“Now have come the salvation and the power
    and the kingdom of our God,
    and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
    who accuses them before our God day and night,
    has been hurled down.  Revelation 12:10

The Jews at this point will have to hide from the Antichrist because they will be hunted like they were during the Holocaust but worldwide. The sheep, being Christ followers will be the ones that reach out to help the Jews during this time. The goats will be turning in the Jews for persecution. This is what they will be judged on. 

The End…the Beginning

We have reached the final chapter of Revelation. I will break it down into sections.

¹ Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. ³ No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. ⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵ There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

At the beginning of this chapter, we are still with John as the angel is showing him the New Jerusalem. John sees a river of the water of life flowing from God’s throne. This is eternal life that comes from knowing God. There will be a tree of Life on each side of this river bearing twelve crops of fruit. Since we will no longer rely on the sun in the sky to show us the changing months of the year. The crops of the tree will designate the months. The leaves of the tree will be for the healing of nations, unlike the leaves Adam used to cover himself after eating from the original tree. No longer will there be any curse, the curse that Adam brought down on mankind is gone. All those in the city will serve God and reign forever.

John and the Angel

⁶ The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”   ⁷ “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”
⁸ I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. ⁹ But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”
¹⁰ Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. ¹¹ Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”

The angel speaks to John and tells him that these words are true and he has been tasked with showing John the events that would transpire soon. “Look, I am coming soon” Jesus will return. “Blessed is the one that keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll” this is a call to faithfulness. John, feeling overwhelmed, falls at the feet of the angel to worship him, but the angel stops him and directs him to worship only God. Unlike earlier, John is told not to seal up the words of prophecy written on the scroll. He is told that the time is near when the prophecies in the scroll will come to pass. He is also told that sinners will continue to sin and believers will continue to believe, even with the words of this prophecy available.

Epilogue: Invitation and Warning

¹² “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.   ¹⁴ “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you^[a] this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
¹⁸ I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. ¹⁹ And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

Now we see the words of Jesus saying that He is coming soon. He will come in a blink of an eye
⁵¹Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed 1Corinthians 15:51-52
He will bring to each believer their reward, their crowns according to what they have done.
Crown of Righteousness
⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8
Incorruptible Crown (Victor’s Crown)
²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25
Crown of Life (Martyr’s Crown)
¹⁰ Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. Revelation 2:10
Crown of Rejoicing (Soul Winner’s Crown)
¹⁹ For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? ²⁰ Indeed, you are our glory and joy. 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
Crown of Glory (Shepherd’s Crown)
¹ To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: ² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; ³ not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. 1 Peter 5:1-4
Jesus then reiterates that He is the first and last, the Alpha and Omega, He is sovereign.
Those that wish to enter the Holy city and have eternal life must wash their robes. They must become followers of Jesus and be made pure. Jesus tells John that He has sent the angel to give John this revelation. Jesus names Himself as the Jewish Messiah.
Now the reader is beckoned to become a believer and accept the gift of eternal life that has been paid for by the blood of Jesus for you.
Now there is a warning not to add or take away from the words written in this prophecy. Those who preach it or write commentaries or the readers themselves have a responsibility to keep the words of this prophecy whole. They are not to add things to it and they are not to take parts out.
As a final exhortation to the reader, Jesus reminds them that He is coming soon. Amen or so be it. The writer ends with a plea to Jesus to return…”Come Lord Jesus” the Aramaic word is Maranatha. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with us all. Amen.

Maranatha!

Throne in Heaven

^{Today I would like to discuss Revelation chapter 4. This chapter begins the next section of Revelation, and continues on until chapter 16. In the preceding chapters John had visions of the time of the church age, from Pentecost through the end of the church age culminating in the rapture of the church.  Now that the church has been removed from the earth the judgments of God against the earth can begin. This chapter begins with John being told to come up to heaven so he may see what will happen.}


Revelation 4


¹ After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” ² At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. ³ And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. ⁴ Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. ⁵ From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits^[a] of God. ⁶ Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
   In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. ⁷ The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. ⁸ Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
   “‘Holy, holy, holy
   is the Lord God Almighty,’^[b]
   who was, and is, and is to come.”
 ⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever,¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
 ¹¹ “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”


When John looks around heaven the first thing he sees is a throne. He sees a being sitting on the throne that he can only describe as having the appearance of jewels with a rainbow surrounding the throne. Now the first time the rainbow is mentioned in the Bible, it is to remind us of God’s promise to never destroy the earth again with a flood.
 ¹² And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. ¹⁶ Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”Genesis 9:12-16 This rainbow around the throne may be a reminder that God has not forgotten His covenant with us. John was trying to describe something that was indescribable. Around this throne were twenty-four other thrones with twenty-four elders sitting on them. It is not clear who these elders are, some people think they may represent the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles.
⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split ⁵² and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and^[e] went into the holy city and appeared to many people. Matthew 27:51-53
This may be another possible explanation of who is sitting on the thrones. We won’t know until we can one day ask Jesus. 
After seeing these thrones, John once more focuses on God’s throne, where there was thunder and lightning. He notices seven lamps in front of the throne that represent the seven spirits of God, as we noted earlier, this represents the Holy Spirit. Also in front of the throne is something like a sea of glass that is clear as crystal. John was not able to fully describe what he was seeing, the beauty was beyond describing. 
Now John sees four living creatures around the throne. They were completely covered with eyes and each creature had six wings. John describes them as one like a lion, and ox, a man and an eagle. The eyes may represent that they are watchful guardians of the throne. In Ezekiel’s vision, he saw creatures that were similar to these beasts, they were God’s cherubim. These creatures may be other cherubim who’s job it is to guard the throne. 

⁵ and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, ⁶ but each of them had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. ⁸ Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, ⁹ and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.
 ¹⁰ Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. Ezekiel 1:5-10
This is also similar to the ark of the covenant where God’s glory rested between the cherubim wings that were carved over the ark.
 ¹⁷ “Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. ¹⁸ And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. ¹⁹Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. ²⁰ The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. ²¹ Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you. ²² There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites. Exodus 25:17-22
The creatures worship God continually, and when they do the elders also fall down before God and offer Him their crowns and worship Him.