INTRODUCTION
In Jesus’s great prophecy, there are eight illustrations between Matthew 24:32 and 25:46. Most of the illustrations of Jesus were told to illustrate one or two important points. This means that the different parts of the illustrations have no prophetic meaning, but they are included to make the picture complete. A few of the illustrations of Jesus also are prophecies, and this is explicitly seen by the choice of words.
One example is the illustration about the wheat and the weeds in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. We know that this illustration is a prophecy because it has a time setting (the conclusion of the system of things), and actions done by the angels are mentioned.
No words in seven of the eight illustrations in Matthew chapters 25 and 25 show that they are prophecies. But the illustration in Matthew 25:31-46 about the sheep and the goats has such words. Actions when the Son of man comes are mentioned as well as the brothers of Jesus. This shows that this is both an illustration and a prophecy. I will now analyze this illustration.
The view of the members of the Governing Body is that the words in verses Matthew 25:31, 32 that the Son of man “comes in his glory,” and he “will sit down on his glorious throne” refers to the great tribulation. Then “all the nations will gather before him and he will separate people one from another just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” Because the destiny of the goats is “the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels” (verse 41), this evidently means everlasting annihilation.
The Watchtower of March 15, 2015, page 26, says:
3 To understand the illustration of the sheep and the goats correctly, we need to grasp three key elements of the account: the identity of those mentioned, the timing of the judgment, and the reason for being classified as either a sheep or a goat.
I will now consider all these points.
THE TIME OF THE FULFILLMENT OF THE ILLUSTRATION
From the year 1923 and for 72 years the view was that the words in 25:31 “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne” refer to the establishment of the heavenly Kingdom in the year 1914 and the presence of Jesus Christ when he rules in the midst of his enemies. But The Watchtower of October 15, 1995, pages 22, 23, presented a different view. I quote from this article:
23 If we analyze Jesus’ activity in the parable, we observe him finally judging all the nations… The parable, though, depicts the time when Jesus judges the people of “all the nations” who are then alive and facing the execution of his judicial sentence.
25 This means, then, that Jesus’ ‘sitting down on his glorious throne’ for judgment, mentioned at Matthew 25:31, applies to the future point when this powerful King will sit down to pronounce and execute judgment on the nations.
We note the words that Jesus will be gathering “alle the nations” before him and “we observe him finally judgning all the nations,” and not some of them.
| The text tells about two separate actions, 1) The son of man will gather alle the nations before him, and 2) He will judge the people of all the nations.
That the Son of man will judge the nations is something that is invented by the members of the Governing Body without any basis in the text. |
The word “comes” in 25:31 is erkhomai (“come”), and we can find its reference on the basis of the context. In Acts 1:11 the word refers to his return as king in 1914. But in Matthew 24:30, 42, 44. 46 it refers to the coming of Jesus in the great tribulation. However, the words about the transfiguration of Jesus on the holy mountain can help us find the correct time setting for the fulfillment of Matthew 25:31.
I will now compare the words in Matthew 25:31 with what the gospel writers say about the transfiguration:
Matthew 25:31: 31 “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne.
Matthew 16:27, 28: 27 For the Son of man is to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will repay each one according to his behavior. 28 Truly I say to you that there are some of those standing here who will not taste death at all until first they see the Son of man coming in his Kingdom.”
Mark 8:38, 9:1: 38 For whoever becomes ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 1 Furthermore, he said to them: “Truly I say to you that there are some of those standing here who will not taste death at all until first they see the Kingdom of God already having come (erkhomai, perfect participle active) in power.”
Luke 9:26, 27: 26 For whoever becomes ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of man will be ashamed of that person when he comes in his glory and that of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death at all until first they see the Kingdom of God.”
There are three important points in Matthew 25:31, 1) “comes in his glory,” 2) “with the angels,” and 3) “sit down on his glorious throne.” In the presentation of the transfiguration, the three gospel writers use the words “glory” and “angels” that we also find in Matthew 25:31. And the words “sit down on his glorious throne” in Matthew 25:31 has a parallel as well.
Six days after Jesus spoke his words, the apostles saw his transfiguration, and what they saw was not Jesus acting as judge in the great tribulation, but they saw “the kingdom of God” and “the Son of man coming in his Kingdom.” These words can only refer to the Kingdom of God that was established in the year 1914. The words of Mark are particularly illuminating. He uses the perfect active participle of the verb erkhomai (“come”), and the translation must be “see the Kingdom of God having come.” (The word “already” in NWT13 is added and is not in the Greek text.) The point here is that the transfiguration showed that the Kingdom of God had come, it was established. And what they saw was not the great tribulation that was the end of the presence of Jesus but rather its beginning.
One of the apostles who were on the holy mountain with Jesus and who saw his transfiguration was Peter. In his second letter, he referred to the transfiguration, and his words are important. 2 Peter 1:16-18 says:
16 No, it was not by following artfully contrived false stories that we made known to you the power and presence (parousia) of our Lord Jesus Christ, but rather, we were eyewitnesses of his magnificence. 17 For he received from God the Father honor and glory when words such as these were conveyed to him by the magnificent glory: “This is my Son, my beloved, whom I myself have approved.” 18 Yes, these words we heard coming from heaven while we were with him in the holy mountain.
Peter confirms the conclusion I already have reached that the transfiguration referred to the coming of Jesus as king in the year 1914 and the establishing of the heavenly Kingdom. Peter says directly that the transfiguration showed the presence of Jesus. When the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:31 parallels his words about the transfiguration, we have strong evidence that the words in verse Matthew 25:31 refer to the presence of Jesus from the year 1914 and not to his coming in the great tribulation.
| The members of the Governing Body apply the illustration to Jesus’ judgment of the nations and all humans in the great tribulation. The word “judgment” is not found in the text. Two different actions are described: Jesus gathers all the nations before him in order to rule in their midst, and he separates humans that are not identified into two groups during his presence. |
THE EARTHLY KINGDOM THAT WILL MAKE THE EARTH A PARADISE
Even though the illustration refers to the time when Jesus becomes king, and the kingdom of God is established, the illustration itself does not refer to different characteristics of the heavenly kingdom. But verse 34 in chapter 25 shows that the illustration refers to people who will live in the coming earthly kingdom:
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right: ‘Come, you who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world.
When we look for clues that can identify “the Kingdom” that is mentioned, we need to consider the time factor that is mentioned in the verse, namely “the founding of the world.” According to Luke 11:50, 51, the foundation/founding (katabolē) of the world (the human family) was laid at the time of Abel when children were born to Adam and Eve. Hebrews 11:11 confirms that katabolē is connected with the procreation of children.
The expression “the founding of the world” is used in the letter to the Ephesians. We read in 1:3, 4, and 2:6:
3 Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in union with Christ, 4 as he chose us to be in union with him before the founding of the world,that we should be holy and unblemished before him in love…
6 Moreover, he raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly places in union with Christ Jesus.
These verses show that the hope of members of the congregation in Ephesus was to rule with Jesus Christ in his heavenly Kingdom. What is particularly important in 1:4 is the use of the preposition. The verse says that the Ephesians whose hope was the heavenly Kingdom were chosen before (pro) the founding of the world. However, the Kingdom that the sheep would inherit according to Matthew 26:34 was prepared from (apo) the founding of the world. The two prepositions are mutually exclusive, and this shows that the Kingdom mentioned in 25:34 is a kingdom that is different from the heavenly Kingdom.
The only alternative is the earthly Kingdom that will exist on the earth during the thousand-year-reign of Jesus Christ and after that forever. That there is both a heavenly Kingdom and an earthly Kingdom is confirmed in Hebrews chapters 2 and 3. In 2:5 we read about “the coming inhabited earth” and in 3:1 we read about those who are “partakes of the heavenly calling.” We appreciate very much that Jesus mentions both the heavenly and the earthly Kingdoms in his great prophecy about his presence.
The two different hopes, the heavenly one and the earthly one, are not only seen in the use of the preposition apo (“from”) in contrast with the preposition pro (“before”) in the letter to the Ephesians. But it is also seen in the relationship between the persons that are mentioned in the illustration of the sheep and the goats.
The word “sheep” refers to persons who have God’s approval and who will inherit the earthly Kingdom. But there is another group that is mentioned, namely, the brothers of Jesus in 25:40. The group called the brothers of Jesus in Hebrew 2:11, who also are children of God, according to 2:13, are “partakes of the heavenly calling” according to 3:1. This suggests that the brothers of Jesus that are mentioned together with the sheep also are partakers of the heavenly calling.
This conclusion is confirmed in the letter to Romans chapter 8. Verses 29 and 30 say that Jesus is “the firstborn among many brothers,” whom God called to the heavenly Kingdom. Being brothers of Jesus, these individuals are also the children of God. Just as is the case in Matthew 25:31-46, two different groups are also mentioned in Romans 8:14-33:
14 For all who are led by God’s spirit are indeed God’s sons. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery causing fear again, but you received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which spirit we cry out: “Abba, Father!”16 The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 If, then, we are children, we are also heirs—heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ—provided we suffer together so that we may also be glorified together. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of the present time do not amount to anything in comparison with the glory that is going to be revealed in us. 19 For the creation is waiting with eager expectation for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but through the one who subjected it, on the basis of hope 21 that the creation itself will also be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 For we know that all creation keeps on groaning together and being in pain together until now. 23 Not only that, but we ourselves also who have the firstfruits, namely, the spirit, yes, we ourselves groan within ourselves while we are earnestly waiting for adoption as sons, the release from our bodies by ransom.
Paul shows that he and the Romans to whom his letter was addressed were God’s sons or children (verses 14, 15). They were also joint heirs with Christ (verse 16), and they were earnestly waiting for the release of their bodies (Verse 23). Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:50 that “flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s Kingdom,” and in verses 35 to 49 he shows that in order to reign with Jesus Christ in heaven a person must die and get a spirit body in his resurrection. This is “the release from our bodies.”
In addition to the mentioned group of God’s children, who have the heavenly calling, there is another group, “the creation” (verse 19), which refers to Adam’s descendants. They are “subjected to futility” (verse 19). But with the help of God’s children in the heavenly government, they “will be set free from enslavement to corruption” during the thousand-year-reign of Jesus Christ. At the end of this period when they will have reached perfection, they themselves will “have the glorious freedom of the children of God.” Thus, we see that the earthly Kingdom is mentioned together with the heavenly Kingdom in Romans chapter 8 and Hebrews chapters 2 and 3, and it is implied, together with the earthly Kingdom in Matthew chapter 25.
The conclusion to this section is that the brothers of Jesus refer to those who will reign with him in heaven, and the sheep are those who will inherit the earthly kingdom.
THE GOATS DO NOT REFER TO THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD
In Matthew 25:32, NWT84 has the rendering: “he will separate people one from another,” but the word “people” most likely will be misunderstood. The natural understanding of the verse is that “people” refers to the inhabitants of all the nations, and that these inhabitants will be separated into two groups, sheep and goats. But that is a wrong understanding. In order to ascertain this, we need to know the Greek rules regarding pronouns that can refer back to nouns. The rules in English regarding pronouns that refer back to nouns are quite similar to the rules in Greek. In order to illustrate the issue, I use an English example, namely, Matthew 5:28:
But I say to you that everyone who keeps on looking at a woman (gynaika, feminine singular accusative) so as to have a passion for her (autēn, third person feminine singular accusative) has already committed adultery with her (autēn, third person feminine singular accusative) in his heart.
*But I say to you that everyone who keeps on looking at a woman (gynaika, feminine singular accusative) so as to have a passion for him (auton, third person masculine singular accusative) has already committed adultery with him (auton, third person masculine singular accusative) in his heart.
The first quotation is grammatical because the pronouns referring back to the woman are feminine and “woman” (gynaika) is feminine. The second clause is marked by an asterisk because it is ungrammatical. It is not possible to use a masculine singular pronoun to refer back to a feminine singular noun. The rule is the same in Greek. A pronoun that refers back to a noun must have the same gender and number as the noun. Now we understand the rules that can help us answer the questions regarding whether the goats refer to the nations of the world.
Below is my translation of Matthew 25:32
And all the nations (panta ta ethne, plural nominative neuter) will be gathered before him. And he will separate THEM (autous, third person masculine plural accusative) from each other (allēlōn, masculine plural genitive), just as the shepherd is separating the sheep from the goats.
Just as “him” in the ungrammatical example above cannot refer back to “the woman,” the pronoun “them” that is masculine cannot refer back to “the nations” that are neuter. The pronoun “them” must refer to some humans, but the identity of these humans the verse does not tell us. The conclusion is that those who will experience the everlasting fire are not all the inhabitants of the nations of the world who are not Jehovah’s Witnesses, but they are some unidentified persons expressed by the pronoun “THEM” among these inhabitants. A parallel example is found in Matthew 28:19, with my literal translation (above) and NWT13 (below):
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations (ta ethnē, neuter plural accusative), baptizing them (autous, personal pronoun third masculine plural accusative) in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit.
The grammatical construction in Matthew 28:19 is similar to the construction in 25:32. “All the nations” are neuter and the following personal pronoun is masculine. Therefore, the personal pronoun cannot refer back to all the nations. The translators of NWT13 realized this, and therefore they added the words “people of” before “all the nations.” Thus, the personal pronoun “them” refers back to “people of” all the nations. Because the construction of 28:19 is similar to the construction of 25:32, those who are separated as goats are people of all the nations and not all the inhabitants of all the nations.
All the nations were gathered before Jesus when he became king in 1914 because he is subduing in the midst of these nations (Psalm 110:1, 2) And the Greek text is clear: After Jesus became king, some persons who are a part of these nations will be separated from one another into the two groups sheep and goats.[1] So the view that the members of the Governing Body have expressed that the goats are all the inhabitants of the nations of the world, except Jehovah’s Witnesses, who are the sheep, is grammatically impossible.
There is also a parallel example in Revelation 20:8, 9, and my translation is:
8 And he [Satan] will go out to mislead (planaō, aorist active infinitive) the nations (ta ethnē, neuter plural accusative) those in the four corners of the earth, the Gog (masculine singular accusative) and Magog to gather (aorist active infinitive) them (autous, personal pronoun third person masculine plural accusative) to the war, those being (ōn, relative pronoun, masculine plural accusative). And their (autōn, personal pronoun third person masculine plural accusative) number like the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the encampment of the holy ones and the beloved city. But fire came down out of heaven and devoured them (autous, personal pronoun third person masculine plural accusative)
In verse 8, the verb “mislead” (planaō) is aorist infinitive. An infinitive has no temporal reference, and this infinitive shows the purpose of Satan, namely, “to go out to mislead the nations.” But the text does not say that he succeeded in misleading the nations. To the contrary, the text says that Satan will “gather THEM.” The personal pronoun “THEM” is masculine, and therefore it cannot refer back to the nations that are neuter.
So, the situation is exactly the same as with those that would be baptized (Matthew 28:19): people of all the nations and not all the nations would be baptized. The situation is also the same as with the goats: they are not the inhabitants of all the nations, but some of these inhabitants. Satan will not mislead the nations at the four corners of the earth, but some people of these nations. This is seen by the use of the masculine personal pronoun three times in Revelation: 8 and 9.
What about Gog and Magog? The word “Gog” has the masculine singular article, and therefore, Gog cannot refer back to the nations that are neuter plural. The word Magog does not have the article, but grammatically speaking, when two names are connected with “and,” only the first name has the article, and the article is implied in connection with the second name. This means that Gog and Magog are grammatically dual, and because of this, the plural pronoun “them” can refer back to Gog and Magog. This means that “Gog and Magog” are not designations of the nations at the four corners of the earth, but designations of those persons of the nations who attack the encampment of the holy ones and the beloved city are called “Gog and Magog.”[2]
[1]. The personal pronoun that the NWT84 translates as “the people” is autous, which is third person masculine plural accusative. If the personal pronoun referred back to “nations” that is neuter, the pronoun must have been auta, which is third person neuter plural accusative. The antecedent of autous is not grammatical but logical, namely, unspecified persons from the nations. I would, therefore, have translated autous by “persons” and not by “the people,” with an explanations in a footnote.
[2]. The distinction between the nations of the earth and those who will be judged is seen by expositors of the gospel of Matthew. For example, Robert H. Gundry says in his book Matthew A Commentary on his Literary and Theological Art, page 512, “The shift from the neuter panta ta ethnē, “all the nations,” to the masculine autous, “them,” implies individual rather than national judgment (cf. 28:19, 29).
THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE GOATS
Let us first see how Jesus identifies the goats. I quote Matthew 25:41-46:
40And in reply the king will say to them, ‘Truly I say to YOU, To the extent that YOU did it to one of the least of these my brothers, YOU did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say, in turn, to those on his left, ‘Be on YOUR way from me, YOU who have been cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. 42 For I became hungry, but YOU gave me nothing to eat, and I got thirsty, but YOU gave me nothing to drink. 43 I was a stranger, but YOU did not receive me hospitably; naked, but YOU did not clothe me; sick and in prison, but YOU did not look after me.’ 44 Then they also will answer with the words, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them with the words, ‘Truly I say to YOU, To the extent that YOU did not do it to one of these least ones, YOU did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will depart into everlasting cutting-off, but the righteous ones into everlasting life.”
I will discuss different sides of the identification of the goats.
THE IDENTIFICATION MADE BY THE MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY
The new interpretation of the illustration, placing its fulfillment to Armageddon occurred in the year 1995. I will quote a few articles from this time and until the present.
The Watchtower of October 15, 1995, page 22, says:
23 If we analyze Jesus’ activity in the parable, we observe him finally judging all the nations. The parable does not show that such judging would continue over an extended period of many years, as if every person dying during these past decades were judged worthy of everlasting death or everlasting life. It seems that the majority who have died in recent decades have gone to mankind’s common grave. (Revelation 6:8; 20:13) The parable, though, depicts the time when Jesus judges the people of “all the nations” who are then alive and facing the execution of his judicial sentence.
The Watchtower of August 15, 1998, page 20, says:
17 All nations will shortly be examined by Christ so that he can “separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” (Matthew 25:31-33).
The Watchtower simplified of July 15, 2013, pages 6-8, says:
11 In 1995, The Watchtower gave a new explanation of Matthew 25:31. That verse states: “When the Son of man arrives in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne.” The Watchtower said that Jesus became King of God’s Kingdom in 1914, but he did not at that time become the Judge of “all the nations.” (Matthew 25:32; compare Daniel 7:13.) Keep in mind, though, that the illustration of the sheep and the goats is mainly about the work Jesus will do as Judge. (Read Matthew 25:31-34,41, 46.) Since Jesus was not the Judge of all the nations in 1914, he could not have begun judging people as sheep or goats in 1914. (See endnote.) When will Jesus begin judging all the nations? (bold font in the original)
13 Jesus will judge people of all nations as sheep or goats when he comes during the great tribulation. Then, at Armageddon, the goats will be ‘cut off’ forever, that is, destroyed. So this shows us how important our preaching work is. Before the great tribulation begins, people still have time to change their thinking and start living in a way that puts them on the road “leading off into life.” (Matthew 7:13, 14) It is true that some people may now have an attitude that might make us think that they are a sheep or a goat. But we should remember that it is during the great tribulation that Jesus will make the final judgment of the sheep and the goats. It is very important to keep preaching the Kingdom message to as many as possible so that they have an opportunity to accept it.
The Watchtower of September 2024, page 20, says:
THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS
3 In the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus described the judgment of people who have the opportunity to respond to the good news and to support his anointed brothers. (Matt. 25:31-46) During the “great tribulation,” he will render this judgment right before Armageddon. (Matt. 24:21) Just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, Jesus will separate those who loyally support his anointed followers from those who do not.
Online article (7.18.2024) “What is the coming of Christ?” Says:
Great tribulation: The end of this wicked world. First, false religion will be destroyed. Then, there will be a time when Jesus will judge the sheep and the goats and appoint his faithful slave over all the Master’s belongings. Finally, the rest of this system will be destroyed at Armageddon
The Scriptures make dozens of references to the future time when Christ comes to judge the people of the earth. For example, Matthew 25:31-33 says:
“When the Son of man [Jesus Christ] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will put the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.”
This time of judgment will be part of a “great tribulation” unlike anything in human history. That tribulation will culminate in the war of Armageddon. (Matthew 24:21; Revelation 16:16) Christ’s enemies, described in his illustration as goats, “will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction.” (2 Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 19:11, 15) In contrast, his faithful servants, the sheep, will have the prospect of “everlasting life.”—Matthew 25:46.[1]
Inportant points from the quotations:
- The Watchtower of October 1995: “the people of “all the nations” who are then alive and facing the execution of his judicial sentence.
- The Watchtower of August 15, 1998: All the nations will be judged as sheep or goats.
- The Watchtower of August 15, 2013: People of all the nations will be judged as sheep or goats.
- The Watchtower of September 2024: People will be judged as sheep or goats. All who do not support Jesus’ anointed followers will be separated as goats.
- Online article 7.19.2024: Christ’s enemies are the goats, they are all who are living who are not his faithful servants.
The five points above indicate the setting of the illustration given by the members of the Governing Body. In all the quotations above it is said that the illustration shows how Jesus will judge the nations of the world. The word “judge” is not found in the illustration, and there is nothing else in the text that indicates judging. So, when the members of the Governing Body claim that the illustration refers to judgning, this is invented by them and has no basis in the Bible.
Verses 31 and 32 tell that Jesus sits down on his glorious throne, and all the nations are gathered before him. I have already shown there are strong reasons to believe that this refers to the year 1914 when Jesus became king and God’s kingdom was established. The text dose not say that Jesus is judging the nations or the people of the nations. But it says that Jesus separates some unidentified people of the nations as sheep and goats.
Who are those that are supposed to be judged? The quotations from 1995 and 1998 says that all the people of the nations of the earth will be separated into sheep and goats. The next quotation seems to be a little more cautious. The Watchtower of July 2013 says that Jesus will judge “people of all the nations.” This expression does not say that all people of the nations will be judged.
Have the members of the Governing Body changed their mind? No, the quotations from 2024 show that their view is that all the people of the nations will be separated as sheep and goats, not only some of their inhabitants. Let us see. The last sentence from the quotation from the Watchtower of Septembers 2024 says that all who are not supporting Christ’s loyal supporters are goats. This means that the goats are the 8 billion+ people who live when Armageddon comes.
The online article supports this conclusion. It says that “Christ comes to judge the people of the earth.” These words can only be understood as referring to all living humans, and this is the same as saying that Jesus “will judge all the people of the nations of the world, the words that we find in The Watchtower of October 15, 1995:
| The members of the Governing Body still believe that the people of all the nations on the earth will be separated into sheep and goats. Those who support the brothers of Christ (Jehovah’s Witnesses) are the sheep and all others are the goats. This means that the belief is that 8 billion+ humans will be everlastingly annihilated in Armageddon and 20 million+ Jehovah’s Witnesses will survive. |
THE TRUE IDENTIFICATION OF THE GOATS
The separation relates to Christ’s brothers. Persons who come to the support of these brothers when they are in need, will be classified as sheep, and those who do not support Christ’s brothers will be classified as goats. One important side of the identification is that the goats “are cursed into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (verse 41), which means “everlasting cutting-off” (verse 46). This means that the goats will be everlastingly annihilated without any hope of a resurrection.
The setting here is that the sins of the goats is so serious that they lead to everlasting destruction. But the sins that are described do not seem to be serious. James 4:17 says, “If one knows how to do what is right and yet does not do it, it is a sin for him.” But not doing what one knows to be right does not lead to everlasting annihilation. So, it is important to scrutinize the text of the illustration to find the true identification of the goats.
SIN THAT CAN BE FORGIVEN AND SIN AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT
We may look at the illustration in the light of Jesus’ words about sin: I quote Matthew 12:31, 32 (above), 12:39-41 (middle), 11:21, 22 (below):
31 “On this account I say to YOU, Every sort of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the spirit will not be forgiven. 32 For example, whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the holy spirit, it will not be forgiven him, no, not in this system of things nor in that to come.
39 In reply he said to them: “A wicked and adulterous generation keeps on seeking for a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Joʹnah the prophet. 40 For just as Joʹnah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41 Men of Ninʹe·veh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it; because they repented at what Joʹnah preached, but, look! something more than Joʹnah is here.
20 Then he started to reproach the cities in which most of his powerful works had taken place, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Cho·raʹzin! Woe to you, Beth·saʹi·da! because if the powerful works had taken place in Tyre and Siʹdon that took place in YOU, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. 22 Consequently I say to YOU, It will be more endurable for Tyre and Siʹdon on Judgment Day than for YOU.
According to Matthew 12:31, 32, every sort of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven, except sin against the holy spirit. This includes sexual immorality, murder, and even speaking words against Jesus Christ. According to Matthew 12:39-41 “the adulterous and wicked generation” that Jesus refers to will have their sins forgiven and get a resurrection on Judgment Day. I demonstrate in the article, “Sin against the holy spirit” that “this wicked and adulterous generation” includes all the Jews who lived in the days of Jesus.
Matthew 11:21, 22 speaks about some of the members of “this wicked and adulterous generation,” namely about the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida. The inhabitants of these two cities heard the preaching of Jesus and saw his miracles, but refused to believe in him. Nevertheless, the sins of the inhabitants of these cities will be forgiven, and they will get a resurrection on Judgment Day.
In view of the points mentioned above, how can it be that when a person does not do something that is good, his sin will not be forgiven, and he will be classified as a goat and be everlastingly annihilated? That does not make sense! Is this the same as saying that the words of Jesus in his illustration of the sheep and the goats are not true? Absolutely not! What is wrong is the interpretation of the illustration by the Governing Body and not the words of Jesus.
Jesus said that the only sin that cannot be forgiven is blasphemy against the holy spirit. This means that the goats are guilty of sin against the holy spirit. But how can we see this from the text of the illustration?
THE SCENARIO PRESENTED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY
During the presence of Jesus from the year 1914, millions of people have died. A few of these have been servants of Jehovah but most of them have not known Christ’s brothers and have not supported them. We can see what their destiny will be by reading Revelation 6:1-8. The white horse symbolizes Jesus Christ as becoming king in the year 1914. After that, several catastrophes like wars, famine, and pestilence would occur. And verse 8 mentions a horse with the name hadēs, signifying that those who died in the mentioned catastrophes would come to hadēs, and all those in hadēs will get a resurrection according to Revelation 20:13. This has previously been pointed out, and we read in The Watchtower of October 15, 1995, page 22:
It seems that the majority who have died in recent decades have gone to mankind’s common grave. (Revelation 6:8; 20:13)
On this background, I will take a closer look at the separation of the sheep and the goats, as it is presented by the members of the Governing Body. The Watchtower of May 2024 says that after the great tribulation has begun and until shortly before Armageddon there is a possibility that people can start to serve Jehovah. The article also says that persons who die in this period may have a resurrection. But these possibilities are terminated when Armageddon comes.
Shortly before Armageddon, Jesus Christ will separate all living humans into two groups, sheep and goats on the basis of whether a person has supported the brothers of Christ or not.
I have already shown that Christ’s brothers are the rest of the 144,000 anointed Christians who will reign with Jesus Christ in heaven. And the rest of these are only found in the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses. This means that the 20 million+ Witnesses who live when Armageddon starts are classified as sheep because they have actively supported Christ’s brothers in their congregations.
But who are the goats? In the article “The Devaluation and Restriction of the Ransom Sacrifice The Destiny of 8 Billion+ People when the Great Tribulation comes,” I showed that when Armageddon comes, there are 2 billion children below 14 years. These have neither had the possibility nor the capacity to support Christ’s brothers. But according to the interpretation of the members of the Governing Body, these will be everlastingly annihilated without any hope of a resurrection. I also showed that there will be 800 million with serious mental problems, also without the possibility or capacity to support Christ’s brothers. In addition to these, there are more than 3 billion adults who have the capacity to support Christ’s brothers. But they have not had a full chance to hear the good news of the Kingdom. All these will also be eternally annihilated.
Most people who consider this scenario will question it because of their sense of justice. That more than 6 billion people will be everlastingly annihilated for something they did not know about and therefore did not do contradicts what is just and right, and it contradicts the love of Jehovah towards his earthly sons and daughters. If we see this scenario in the light of the words of Jesus that every sort of sin will be forgiven, and that the inhabitants of Chorazin and Capernaum together with the whole generation of Jews will get a resurrection, the interpretation of the members of the Governing Body simply is ridiculous.
The members of the Governing Body cannot plead ignorance here and say that Jehovah will find a solution to this situation. The situation that I have described is based on the reality of the situation when 8 billion people live on the earth and very few of them serve Jehovah. And it is based on the interpretation of the members of the Governing Body that Jesus Christ will separate all humans into two groups shortly before Armageddon.
Jehovah has a solution to this situation. But this solution is very different from the interpretation of the members of the Governing Body. I will return to that.
THE REAL SEPARATION OF THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS
I return to the words of Jesus that every sort of sin will be forgiven except sin against the holy spirit. This means that to deserve everlasting annihilation a person must have sinned against the holy spirit. Can we deduce this from the illustration of the sheep and the goats?
A part Christ’s brothers were collected in the first century CE., and this collection started again in the 1870s when C.T. Russell and his associates started to study the Bible in order to find the truth about God. During the rest of the 19th century and until the year 1935, almost all the Bible Students and Jehovah’s Witnesses were anointed Christians, Christ’s brothers.
However, there is evidence that some Christians were not anointed but looked forward to inherit the earthly kingdom before 1935. I knew brother Skonnord who became a Bible Student in 1919, but he had an earthly hope. But it was from the year 1935 that the focus was on the earthly hope.
I have already shown that there is strong evidence that Matthew 25:31 refers to the year 1914 when Jesus became king and all the nations were gathered before him. The calling of the rest of the 144,000 was ongoing, and particularly from 1935 the preaching of the Kingdom focused on the possibility of living forever in the earthly paradise. Can we then conclude that the separation of sheep and goats started in 1935? No.
We must keep in mind that there is no connection in the text between the nations that are gathered before the king Jesus Christ and the separation of the sheep and the goats. Neither is there any connection between the preaching of the good news of the Kingdom and the separation of the sheep and the goats. The purpose of the preaching is to help sincere persons to start serving God, and the purpose is not to separate people that will be eternally annihilated.
What then, does the separation refer to? We can illustrate the situation by quoting Matthew 13:41-43 (above) and 13:47-50 (below):
41 The Son of man will send forth his angels, and they will collect out from his kingdom all things that cause stumbling and persons who are doing lawlessness, 41 and they will pitch them into the fiery furnace. There is where [their] weeping and the gnashing of [their] teeth will be. 43 At that time the righteous ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
47 “Again the kingdom of the heavens is like a dragnet let down into the sea and gathering up [fish] of every kind. 48 When it got full they hauled it up onto the beach and, sitting down, they collected the fine ones into vessels, but the unsuitable they threw away. 49 That is how it will be in the conclusion of the system of things: the angels will go out and separate the wicked from among the righteous 50 and will cast them into the fiery furnace. There is where [their] weeping and the gnashing of [their] teeth will be.
Both quotations are illustrations and prophecies — they will be fulfilled in the conclusion of the system of things, which is identical to the presence of Jesus. The illustrations relate to the kingdom of the heavens and are therefore fulfilled on anointed Christians. The kingdom of the heavens contained both wheat and weeds, which referred to sincere Christians and false Christians. Therefore, the angels collected the weed, the false Christians “out from his kingdom”.
The kingdom of the heavens was like a dragnet that “gathered up fish of every kind,” both sincere Christians and false Christians. The angels would then “separate the wicked from among the righteous.” The separation of the weeds from the wheat and the unsuitable fish from the fine ones would occur inside the Christian congregations. They do not indicate any separation Christians from the people of the world.
The illustration of the sheep and the goats are not connected to the kingdom of the heavens but to the earthly kingdom that was prepared from the founding of the world. Just as there was a need to collect out of the heavenly kingdom persons who were doing lawlessness, there was a need to collect out of the earthly kingdom persons who were false Christians. This is what the illustration of the sheep and the goats is all about. And this illustration is fulfilled during the presence of Jesus just as the two other mentioned illustrations.
And now we are close to understanding the sins of the goats. They are not sentenced to everlasting annihilation because of something they did not know and did not do. Christ’s brothers took the lead in the congregations and in the preaching of the good news of the Kingdom from the start of the 20th century. Hebrews 13:17 shows how these should be viewed:
17 Be obedient to those who are taking the lead among YOU and be submissive, for they are keeping watch over YOUR souls as those who will render an account; that they may do this with joy and not with sighing, for this would be damaging to YOU.
Jesus showed that the goats did not support his brothers who historically speaking took the lead in the congregations. This means that they, in reality, did not support Jesus. Hebrews 6:4-6 describes a situation when anointed Christians did not support Jesus:
4 For it is impossible as regards those who have once for all been enlightened, and who have tasted the heavenly free gift, and who have become partakers of holy spirit, 5 and who have tasted the fine word of God and powers of the coming system of things, 6 but who have fallen away (parapiptō) , to revive them again to repentance, because they impale the Son of God afresh for themselves and expose him to public shame.
The persons who are mentioned in these verses were not ignorant. They had been enlightened, and they had the chance to accept the ransom sacrifice of Jesus. But instead of accepting this free gift, they fell away. The word parapiptō has the meaning “to abandon a former relationship or association.” These persons consciously rejected the worship of Jehovah and the kingship of Jesus Christ, and therefore they deserved to get an adverse judgment.
In a similar way, the goats have also rejected the ransom sacrifice by their refusal to support the brothers of Jesus who have taken the lead in the Christian congregations. This means that the goats are not ignorant persons, for in order to support or not support Christ’s brothers, a person must know who these brothers are, and that is only possible by having a relationship to one of the Christian congregations. The goats had such a relationship. But they consciously refused to support Jesus and his brothers. Therefore, they sinned against the holy spirit. When we understand this, we ascertain that the sentence of the goats to everlasting annihilation is just and right.
| By refusing to support the brothers of Jesus, and because of this, refusing to support Jesus, the goats have rejected the ransom sacrifice of Jesus and have sinned against the holy spirit. Therefore, we understand that the judgment of everlasting annihilation is righteous and just. |
[1]. https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/502015241?q=goats&p=par
THE SOLUTION OF JEHOVAH
What is the solution to the situation that when Armageddon comes, there are 8 billion+ humans on the earth who are not serving Jehovah, most of whom have not at a personal chance to do so?
The solution is very simple because it is based the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Jesus died for all Adam’s descendants and he bought them all. This means that each descendant of Adam must get a personal chance to accept or reject the ransom sacrifice. Most of the 8 billion+ humans who lives when Armageddon comes have not had this chance. Therefore, when they die, they will get a resurrection in the thousand-year-long Judgment Day to get this chance.
Not only these, but all others who are not among the 144,000 who will get a heavenly resurrection or those who have sinned against the holy spirit, will get a resurrection on Judgment Day. Paul shows in 1 Corinthians 15:22 that “all who die in Adam,” who dies because of inherited sin, will get a resurrection. This includes all who have lived on the earth except the members of the two mentioned groups.
The members of the Governing Body do not believe this. They have devalued and restricted both the ransom sacrifice and the resurrection. This is a false teaching, and I have written five articles in the series “The Devaluation and Restriction of the Ransom Sacrifice” in order to defend what the Bible teaches about the ransom sacrifice and the doctrine of the resurrection.
For those who want to understand the nuances and details of these doctrines, I recommend the article, “Getting Adam’s chance” and my book, The Atonement Between God and Man.
