Friday Q&A: Sheep & Goat Judgment

Every Friday, I answer a common question related to the end times. Today’s is about whether the well-known sheep and goats judgment from Matthew 25 applies to individuals or to nations.

Question:

Who is the Sheep and Goats Judgment for? Is it for individual people or for entire nations?

In Matthew 24, Jesus talks in detail about the signs of the End Times. In Matthew 25, He talks about three judgments that will occur when He returns:

• The Wise and Foolish Virgins (Matthew 25:1–13)

• The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–29)

• The Sheep and Goat Judgment (Matthew 25:31–46)

Jesus opens the description of the Sheep and Goat Judgment with these words:

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy 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 them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.”—Matthew 25:31–32 NKJV