When the Lord returns, He will divide people and nations. There will be sheep nations and goat nations. The sheep will be on His right, and the goats will be on His left.
This is a prophetic word for the church today: When the Son of Man, Yeshua HaMashiach — Jesus Christ — returns in His glory and all His holy angels are with Him, He will sit on the throne of glory and gather all the nations before Him. He will judge based on their treatment of Israel.
The sheep nations will be rewarded because they will stand with Israel. They stand with Israel because of their love and reverence for the Lord God.
Jesus said this: “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. 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. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me'” (Matt. 25:31-36, NKJV, emphasis added).
The Sheep Nations
Let’s revisit verses 35-36 and add verse 40: “For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. … Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (NKJV).
The word “brethren” refers to the Jewish people. Jesus Christ of Nazareth was a Jew. He is saying the nations that cared for the Jewish people by feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, sheltering and giving clothes to the stranger who was naked, and visiting the imprisoned would be placed on His right as a sheep nation.
These sheep nations love the Good Shepherd and know His voice. They keep the greatest commandment as Jesus instructed, loving God first and loving their neighbor.
“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 22:37-40, NKJV, emphasis added).
By nature, sheep are dependent. They stick together and care for the flock. They tend to be more cooperative and stay close to their shepherd.
These are the sheep nations.
The Goat Nations
The goat nations do the opposite of the sheep nations. Goats, by nature, are curious and often tear up whatever is around them. They wander from the herd and the shepherd. Prophetically, they do not demonstrate the greatest commandment to love God and others — specifically Israel.
The outcome of these goat nations is inevitable: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41, NKJV).
But what positioned them on the left side of the King?
Jesus tells us in verses 42-43, “For I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me” (NKJV).
The key words are “did not.” They did not feed, give water, clothe, visit and care for those in Israel.
Goat nations turn a blind eye. They don’t feed or give drink to those in need.
Love God. Love Your Neighbor.
If we love God, then we love our neighbors. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15, NKJV).
Let our love for God and the Jewish people prove our position as sheep! In the past few months, we’ve been able to give food, clothing and necessities to Ukrainian refugees who have come to Israel: orphans, families, children and the elderly. As you can imagine, the need is still high.
Right now, there are opportunities to do the following:
- Feed the hungry
- Give water to the thirsty
- Provide shelter and clothing
To Refugees Coming to Israel
We are sheep. So, then, let us follow the Good Shepherd’s voice and activate this prophetic word in this critical season.
How?
Hundreds of Jewish refugees from Ukraine are making their way to the Holy Land. They are in need of basic necessities, and we have a chance to love them, feed them, clothe them and care for them.
What a powerful time to demonstrate the love of our Lord and Savior! Let us not turn a blind eye and act like the goat nations. We are the church. We have been given an assignment in this hour.
Replacement theology says the church has replaced Israel, but this is a lie. Israel and the church both have covenants with God. The church is grafted into Israel, not replacing her, and together they are One New Man according to the covenant of Abraham.
Both operate in His kingdom. And when He returns, according to Matthew 25:40, how we treat the Jewish people will factor into the judgment received.
God wants the church to know her heritage. He wants Israel and the church — Jew and Gentile — to be connected and come together in peace as One New Man.
As One New Man Believers, we know the importance of Israel and stand with her. And as the day of the Lord approaches, let us not forget God’s call to be a sheep nation, and the words of our Savior:
“Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
Please considering supporting refugees in Ukraine by donating here today.
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Curt Landry, founder of Curt Landry Ministries, and his wife, Christie, travel extensively, preaching and teaching about the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. Together, their passion is to empower families to live and leave kingdom legacies and understand their own personal heritage.
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