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Blog EntryDec 6, '07 10:20 PM
for everyone

Who Are "The Sheep And The Goats?"
(By John of AllFaith © December 06, 2007)
Part One

As of late the term "Sheeple" has been somewhat widely employed on the Internet to reference those who are blindly following and accepting the status quo. These people appear to be almost asleep, they are lukewarm, being neither hot nor cold. These are not the sheep I am referring to here!

Rather, I am thinking specifically of Master Y'shua's prophetic parable of the Sheep and the Goats. By understanding the identity of and distinctions between these two classes of people we can unlock a great mystery and discover our place within the rich blanket of prophecy!

Are you feeling dis-empowered by world events? Then take a stand! There's a lot you can do to make things better! You have the power. You only need to unlock it! It is yours for the taking! In this and the following studies I'll be showing practical ways anyone can empower themselves to Stand for the Kingdom.

So let's begin with the prophecy:

    Matthew 25:31 "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.
    33 "And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
    34 "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.

Who are these people?

Matthew 25 is discussing the Kingdom of heaven, "...Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to..." such and such. What is the Kingdom of Heaven? Master Y'shua is here explaining. Without understanding the nature of the Kingdom how will we grasp our roles in it?

As I have often said, the Kingdom is on the verge of blooming forth (once we pass through certain negative experiences). By understanding our rightful positions as children of the Kingdom we will be empowered to act in harmony with the well being of the earth, its inhabitants and our immortal souls (jivatman). This blooming forth of the Kingdom is taking place on many planes of consciousness.

Lately I've been focusing largely on the material realms, on the establishment and security of Israel in particular. There are however deeper understandings to be discovered here as well and it is now time for me to delve more deeply into these, God willing.

Often those who can grasp the truth that life and "reality" exists simultaneously on many different planes of interconnected consciousness and time(lessness) come to believe that this understanding allows them to skip through or ignore the so-called "lower truths." In this we often err as would one who, having mastered higher mathematics might discount basic arithmetic for those who are only now coming up the educational ladder. Arithmetic is the foundation of all mathematics. Likewise the building and soon revelation of the Kingdom of the One must be established on a solid prophetic foundation and Israel is a vital key to what is happening today, both politically and prophetically. Those who reject Israel's prophetic importance seriously err.

Israel is now, as it has been for so much of known human history, the center-point of world events. The 1948 establishment of the nation of Israel and the 1967 re-incorporation of Jerusalem into it is of vital consequence. But for now, let's look beyond that.

According to Master Y'shua, there are two factions engaged in the establishment of the Kingdom. One positively, one negatively. This text hints at the identities of these factions. Of the Sheep the Master explains:

    Matthew 25:35 '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;
    36 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'

Who is the "I" here? Who was hungry etc?

Here Master Y'shua is speaking in the prophetic voice of the Kingdom. "I" therefore is the Kingdom of heaven. The Sheep are those whose lives nurture the Kingdom, they are righteous among humans.

We continue:

    37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
    38 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
    39 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'

Note that in many if not most cases, the Sheep have performed their Kingdom duties without knowledge of the higher achievements: When did we... They felt an inner need and moved to satisfy it. Why? Because they were righteous.

What does it mean to be righteous?

For Part Two Click Here!

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Prev: I'll Be Gone For Most of November
Next: Understanding the Sheep and the Goats Part Two
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14 CommentsChronological   Reverse   Threaded
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tnbk wrote on Dec 6, '07
put simply the sheep are Jesus followers the goats are the non believers who will burn for eternity
Comment deleted at the request of the author.
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johnofallfaith wrote on Dec 6, '07
Lovely thought...
God as a Gitmo guard, hmm

My friend, God is more than that! God does not torture his children or anyone else.
But thanks for sharing your views.
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zenav wrote on Dec 7, '07
Great blog. But I do believe there is a ghenna.
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johnofallfaith wrote on Dec 7, '07
Thanks Zenav,
In my opinion, Gehenna was a garbage dump on the outskirts of Jerusalem that the master of parables used to illustrate the importance of embracing spiritual life.

Of it we read: "And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom [i.e. Gehenna], and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to Enrogel..." IE it was a physical location (that was kept burning with fire and brimstone to dispose of the trash people threw in). Those who reject God have no hope, as if they had been cast into Gehenna.

Master Y'shua used roughly the same example when speaking with fishermen: Luke 17:2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he CAST INTO the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

Same idea.

I have a study on this you might find interesting at: http://allfaith.com/Religions/Noahide/hell.html

Matthew 13:34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:

It was a parable that the Church took literally because it would scare the faithful into obedience.

God is love: Hell is not loving.
God is just: an ETERNITY of endless torture for even 70 years of unrepentant sin is not just.

The God I worship would never do such an unloving, unjust thing to His children and, in my opinion, the Bible doesn't teach it.

I may have been a bit harsh in my previous reply, for which I apologize, but if I honestly believed God did such horrific things to people I'd either reject Him as evil or devote my life to begging everyone to avoid His wrath. I just can't buy it.
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kittyh1 wrote on Dec 7, '07
John I share your view of Gehenna, and do not believe in a wrathful and punishing God....but in a benevolant and guiding God. That myth of a physical Hell was promoted to keep people in line...and is still being used to frighten and intimidate instead of to accept God' gifts...no matter what you call Him, to me he is 'God'....and to the Jews Yhwh.
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ninure wrote on Dec 7, '07
It is going to be interesting to see who YOU will say the sheep are....

I am having this frightening feeling lately that "the sheep and immigration may be tied....since immigration is becoming an issue in many European nations as well as the USA.

Then there are thousands of homeless "we" walk by each day...

Remember that Jesus did not say that the goats were gaiing to be charitable at all....but that they weren't helping people they considered "least".
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politijunkie wrote on Dec 7, '07
I'm interested.......
Looking forward to your always unique interpretations.
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johnofallfaith wrote on Dec 7, '07
Thanks for your insights Kitty. As always I think you're right on the mark.

Good points Ninure! I look forward to your thoughts on part two (coming up either tonight or tomorrow God willing). Hint: It ain't Pat Robertson LOL

Thanks Political Junkie as always ;-)
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fugitive247 wrote on Dec 7, '07
kittyh1 said
That myth of a physical Hell was promoted to keep people in line...and is still being used to frighten and intimidate instead of to accept God' gifts...

Ms. Kitty, that totally rocked, lady! {{{hug}}}

This may seem cliche to some, but there's a saying:

"One cannot sell real estate in Heaven
if there is no fear of Hell." - unknown

Here's this stark-raving-sober recovering junkie's take on this. The symbolism of the fire & brimstone nastiness was more than effective for its time. Many still believe in this association of a pit of eternal utter damnation where there is zero chance of redemption. Whether this belief is hard-wired or acquired (nature vs. nurture) is moot at this point. This belief, for whatever reason(s), simply "is".

"Hell hath many suburbs." - me

When it comes to the "hard-wired or acquired" equation, my personal experiences continue to show me that the parts of my "Hell" that were not beyond my control were of my own making. I'll cut to the chase because it's late and I'm tired... Much of the spiritual aspect my recovery is dependent, and directly proportional to the choices I make in any given 24-hour period. My hell wants me back. It's cunning, baffling, powerful, and patient. This is what makes me a fugitive... 24/7.

John, thank you. I can't wait for the next installment. Namaste' ♥

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lizzysworld wrote on Dec 8, '07
Since I do not read this part of scriptures I am not familiar but I had to comment, and I am sorry if my comment steps on any toes. You may delete it if you wish I will not be offended.
I think tnbk basically is like most Christians I have ever known....his or her way...... or the highway with no tolerance or thought about other religions.
I know there are tolerant Christians out there but they are not as outspoken.
G-d is HaShem to me but has many other names to others and this does not threaten the strength of my faith.
In my opinion the sheep are true of heart tolerant souls who love and try to obey the G-d they worship and love their fellow man and the goats are non-tolerant and unmovable people who forget humanity in place of religion.
Shalom,
Lizzy
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johnofallfaith wrote on Dec 9, '07
"Hell hath many suburbs."
I may quote you hehe That's great!
My views on the identity of the Sheep, as will become clear as I continue to unfold it, is more energetic, more central than many (maybe most) people would go. I believe the Sheep are central to everything. I hope you will continue reading and commenting Fugitive (and everyone else).

Lizzy,
I SHOULD DELETE THAT COMMENT!!!
--- Because someone just might learn some important truth from your wisdom LOL... Very well said!

I can't imagine ever deleting any of the wonderful wisdom you have to share. Thank you so much.

Shalom my dear friend,
May HaShem cause His glorious face to shine upon you always.
~John of AllFaith
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tortoiseboy2 wrote on Dec 9, '07
oh :( I had hoped with the name 'Allfaith' you might be more religiously neutral. Oh well...

Sheep go to heaven
Goats go to hell

Apparently
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johnofallfaith wrote on Dec 9, '07
LOL Tortoiseboy,
Thanks for your comments,
Keep reading.

In order to understand my AllFaith beliefs you'll need to read more than the first part of one of my studies.
If you read my second comment on part one (above) you will see that I do not believe in Hell. In part two I quote from my translation of the Bhagavad Gita ( a Hindu sacred text) and if you stick with this study till the end you will discover that one's religion has nothing to do with one's position as either a sheep or a goat and that my critique of modern Christendom is quite direct.

When I post my studies in their entirety I get complaints that my pieces are too long to read in one sitting. Therefore I usually present them in shorter pieces for my reader's convenience. A problem with doing this is that the full meaning of the studies often will not be posted for a few days (depending on the length of the piece). Rest assured, I do NOT believe that:

"Sheep go to heaven
Goats go to hell"

I don't believe in either place as conceived.

In this present study I am using a section of Master Y'shua's sayings as my basis, in other studies I may use the Gita, the Guru Granth Sahib, the Tao Te Ching, etc.

As for being "religiously neutral," I'm not neutral about much of anything ;-) I honor all faiths and through the years have developed a constantly evolving personal belief system accordingly. My teachings do not fit into the confines of any single religious tradition. My beliefs are, in all cases, the product of my own spiritual quest, meditations, visions and research.

Om Santi
(Practice Peace)
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John of AllFaith

I have invested the last 40 plus years seeking Truth.

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These are the days the prophets spoke of.

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I discuss politics and religion here with a bit humor as well.

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I invite you to join me on both.

I've examined and even practiced most of the world's religions. many of my older posts reflect things I no longer believe to be true. Yet there is more to truth than are contained within our philosophies as the Bard so wisely noted.

Shalom Alaikum,

~ Messianic Rabbi Yochanan Levine

~ John of AllFaith