Sheep and the goats

The **Sheep and the goats** is a parable in the Gospels that refers to the righteous and the unrighteous during the End times (or the "conclusion of the system of things").

## End times

God’s Word does not reveal the exact time order of events during the End times. It seems likely that some events will overlap. Jesus states in his prophecy about the conclusion of this system of things: “There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of nations not knowing the way out because of the roaring of the sea and its agitation. People will become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” (Luke 21:25-27; Mark 13:24-26) The fulfillment of this prophecy include frightening signs and events that might occur in the literal heavens. Whatever the signs, they will cause terror and panic in the hearts of God’s enemies.

1. ↑ WT (2015), 7/15, “Your Deliverance Is Getting Near”!, par.11

## Consider this...

**DOES GOD ALLOW TORMENT?**
**Death, not torment in a fiery hell, is the penalty for sin.** “He who has died has been acquitted from his sin.”—Romans 6:7.

**Eternal torment would violate God’s justice.** (Deuteronomy 32:4) When the first man, Adam, sinned, God told him that his punishment would simply be to pass out of existence: “Dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19) God would have been lying if he were actually sending Adam to a fiery hell.

**God does not even contemplate eternal torment.** The idea that he would punish people in hellfire is contrary to the Bible’s teaching that “God is love.”—1 John 4:8; Jeremiah 7:31.

**Source**

* jw.org, Bible Questions Answered, *What Is Hell? Is It a Place of Eternal Torment?*

Jesus will come “with power and great glory”. This will be a time for rewarding those who are faithful and for punishing those who are not (Matt. 24:46, 47, 50, 51; 25:19, 28-30). According to the the book of Matthew, Jesus finished giving the composite sign with the parable of the sheep and the goats, saying: “When the Son of man 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.” (Matt. 25:31-33) The parable finishes with the words: “These [the goats] will depart into eternal *kolasis*, but the righteous into eternal life.”—Matt. 25:46.

1. ↑ **kolasis**, κόλασις (Strong's G2851) meaning "correction", or corrective punishment. Some associate "torment", but this concept is rooted in Pagan Greek thought as indicated by the influence of Plato, Aristotle, and Diodorus (all non-Christians) who are listed in *Thayer's Greek Lexicon*, κόλασις. The Christian does well to consider two Bible principles that (1) "God is love" (1 John 4:8) and (2) passing "children" into fire had never occurred to God (Jeremiah 7:31, 19:5), therefore it is a detestable action to allow the eternal torment of humans, especially by fire. Less paganized renderings of κόλασις are "lopping-off" or "cutting-off" eternally.
2. ↑ WT (2015), 7/15, *Deliverance*, par.12

## Cutting-off

The war of Armageddon will be the finale of the great tribulation. At that point, the Christ will take on the task of "cutting-off" the "goats" eternally. Besides being the Judge of “all the nations,” he will also become the Executioner of nations​—that is, of all the people whom he had earlier judged as “goats” (Matt. 25:32, 33). With “a sharp, long sword,” the King of Kings will “strike the nations.” All goatlike ones​—from “kings” to “slaves”—​“will depart into everlasting cutting-off”​ (Rev. 19:15, 18; Matt. 25:46).

## Survivors

Those whom Jesus judge as “sheep”, who are nearly trampled underfoot by Satan’s vast army of “goats,” will be a “a great crowd” of seemingly defenseless “sheep” who will survive the enemy attack and will “come out of the great tribulation.” (Rev. 7:9, 14) Then, after Jesus has conquered and removed all human enemies of God’s Kingdom, he will hurl Satan and his demons into the abyss. There they will be kept in a deathlike, inactive state for a thousand years (Revelation 6:2; 20:1-3).

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 kr, God’s Kingdom Removes Its Enemies, p.230