Separating Sheep from Goats: Understanding God's Judgment

Jesus separates the people of every nation as a shepherd separates sheep from goats.

The sheep inherit eternal life, while the goats are thrown into the lake of fire.

Separating the sheep from the goats is a prophetic utterance that will occur at the end of the tribulation.

Good works are not the basis of salvation, but rather proof of salvation.

In Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 25, Verse 32, Jesus made a statement that had little impact or crunch, I like to say, or meaning for the modern institutional lukewarm church today. Jesus' prophetic, eminent, forthcoming, and unavoidable declaration is that he was going to separate the people of every nation as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep would inherit eternal life, where the goats would be thrown into the eternal lake of fire prepared for the devil and his evil angels. Never in the time of history have we ever been so close to seeing these prophetic words spoken by our precious Savior so close at hand in being fulfilled in our day today. Separating the sheep from the goats is to be another of the divine predictions of God which will be ushered in in the time of history where the will of God will be fulfilled so that the return of his Son the second time will take place and complete the messianic promise of the kingdom of God being set up on the earth with his Son, Jesus Christ, reigning and ruling as King forever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Now, separating the sheep from the goats is one of these prophetic utterances that will come to pass or occur at the end of the tribulation. Jesus Christ, in his office of the Lion of Judah, will gather all nations before him for judgment. Each and every person will be judged on the basis of how they showed love for Jesus Christ, and that is how they treated and obeyed the gospel of truth and how they treated their brothers and sisters in Christ. In the day of judgment, when all of the world is summoned before Christ and he divides and separates the sheep from the goats, he will ask the goats, Where are your wedding garments? They will begin to defend their actions and say, We perform mighty deeds and works in your kingdom. We healed the sick, we fed the poor, and we did nice things for people. But Jesus will say, I don't know you, and you are not permitted to taste the wedding feast prepared for those who prove their love for me by obeying my commands. You did not honor me, he will say, with reciprocal love and reverent fear. You are only a wicked imposter and an intruder. And from there, Jesus will cast them into the lake of fire because they abused his grace and profaned his name. Understand, please, your good works are not the basis of your salvation, but rather they are the proof of salvation. Many unbelievers and atheists do good works for humankind, but they are not saved from eternal damnation. We have a message which deals in depth with this very subject, and it's called Tangible Evidence of My True Christianity. You can access that message by going to the audio messages on our website, www.shininglight7ministries.com. That is a numerical number seven, ministries.com. Please understand, good works will not save us. Only faith in Jesus Christ and him alone will save you. Good works are the fruit of salvation and are called good because they spring forth from the principle of love to God. You see, faith and love in the obedient follower of Jesus Christ are the essential elements of all true obedience in yours and my life. It is a proven fact that God loves each and every one of us with an undying love. And this fact has been proven because the book of life tells us that Jesus Christ, who is the eternal living creator of all things, divested himself of his glory and came in the form of mere man and died a horrible and brutal death upon the cross as the atoning sacrifice that God his Father required and by which would restore relationship of harmony and unity between himself and human beings. This selfless act of love by Christ's blood sacrifice on the cross covers man's sins, and by admission of our sin, God the Father provides his grace and forgiveness, which frees us from the penalty of his divine judgment and also the penalties of our own sin. Now, since God Almighty has already proven his unconditional love to mankind through his Son's remarkable love story in dying for his beloved and prized creation, then we should, in return, should reciprocate and show him our love, first of all, by being obedient to his commands in order to inherit this precious gift of eternal life that he offers. Jesus said in John 14, 21, The person who has my commands and keeps them is the one who really loves me, And whoever really loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and will show I'll reveal, I'll manifest myself to him, and I will let myself be clearly seen by him and make myself real to him. Now, the most solid proof that you and I can present as evidence of our attachment and affection for Jesus Christ as our Savior is to keep and live habitually in his commandments. Overall, this warm, ever-increasing love and affection for our precious bridegroom is called living in Christ. All of our tears of emotion, our profession, and good works pale into insignificance in comparison to showing real proof and evidence of our love to Christ by diligent, devoted, and habitual conformity and uncompromising allegiance to his orders by obeying all of his precepts or authoritative prescriptions in order to obtain this most wonderful and prized utile. utopia of paradise or eternal bliss. You see, again, there is no greater proof of love for Jesus Christ than our willful submission to his commands, and that is, first of all, to love him with all of our hearts, all of our minds, our entire being, and secondly, to love our neighbors as ourselves. And this summed up is called carrying our own cross and following hard after Christ through every difficult and trying situation and circumstance without complaining, without grumbling and hesitation. The beautiful visual evidence that we have of this is when a child demonstrates his love for his parents by his willing and immediate obedience and does all that the parent requires of him or her to do. So it is, with the disciples of Jesus Christ, we are required to show that we are supremely attached to him by yielding all that we are and all that we have to his requirement, even in the face of ridicule and opposition. Please turn with me today to 1 John 5, verse 2. By this, we come to know, recognize, and understand that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commands, his orders, and charges, when we keep his ordinances and are mindful of his precepts and his teachings. For the true love of God is this, that we do his commands, keep his ordinances and are mindful of his teachings and precepts. And these orders of his are not irksome, burdensome, oppressive, or grievous. For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith. Now we must understand that God is due our highest esteem because of what he has done personally for each one of us through his son's death on the cross, his burial and resurrection. He has proven his unconditional love for us without a doubt of any kind. The Bible outlines and frames the record of the greatest love story ever written, and nothing could ever top it, and nothing ever will. It must be understood that love is not only one of God's attributes, but it is also an essential part of his nature. This is the greatest personification of perfect love. This kind of divine love surpasses the powers and capability of our understanding. This God kind of love is an everlasting love. It is sacrificial and an enduring love which has no end. Love is the most important and essential part of God's nature. In fact, we can see a picturesque and graphic depiction or illustration of the importance of this kind of love, which is inherent and intrinsic in God alone, and also which he expects in return from each one of us as his redeemed and saved children. You have heard this account many times. This is the story where Jesus asked Peter this most important question that could portray the highest relationship between God and man. On probably the most important and crucial day and time in Peter's life as far as his future relationship with his Savior and Lord, Jesus asked him, Peter, do you love me more than these? Remember, Peter denied Jesus three times, not just once. So in this account, told in John 21, verse 15, Jesus asked Peter three times, Do you love me? Peter was pushed to the max in accountability in this face-to-face encounter with the all-powerful and almighty master and creator of the universe. Upon Jesus' question to Peter, he bitterly recalled having denied his Lord. And we can think probably that through this series of Jesus' inquiry of Peter's love for him in this personal face-to-face encounter, Peter must have had a breakthrough in spiritual revelation in seeing the difference between a brotherly kind of love called filial love versus a godly kind of love, which is called agape love and is known as the highest form of love because it springs forth only from the divine nature of God, and it is by his will alone that he loves us. this understanding is a mystery and is far beyond the realm of this earth and beyond the dimension of human comprehension this transcendent supreme and holy understanding is beyond the realm of our imaginations and is far out of reach for any one person to endeavor or entertain the idea that he or she could wrap their minds around this one dear church Many have tried and have presented twisted and perverted philosophies and doctrines which identify them as those who are tethered to the earth and are known as wolves in sheep's clothing or the goats whom Jesus spoke about in Matthew 25, verse 31, when he said, When the Son of Man comes in his glory, his majesty and splendor, and all the holy angels with him, and he will sit on the throne of his glory. Verse 32, all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them, the people, from one another, as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats, and he will cause the sheep to stand on his right hand and the goats at his left. Now the goats represent the wicked men and women of the earth who fleeced the sheep and made themselves fat off of them by peddling and marketing their wares and perverted lies and new mysterious intriguing doctrines they say have come from God. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. The End In Proverbs 2, verse 4, and says, If you seek wisdom as for silver and search for skillful and godly wisdom as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of our omniscient God. this precious understanding and insight into the secret mysteries of godliness can only enter into the hearts of men and women who have been privileged to have their spiritual eyes opened up by the prerogative of the Holy Spirit because, please catch this, don't miss it, because these people have seen the wretchedness of their own sinful nature and state, and have caught the glimpse of the holiness of the incomparable and perfect love of the one who has willingly laid himself upon the cross and died a horrible death by pouring out his life and blood to have and own them personally. These have submitted in brokenness and humility to the will of God and have been found habitually obedient to the commands of God. And therefore, they have been honored with the privilege to peer into and have unmasked the hidden secrets and revelation of God's eternal plan, which is revealed to his sanctified people in accordance with his plan and timing. In Ephesians 1, 17, we read an account of one of the greatest prayers ever prayed which shows the heart and mind and will of the Eternal Father. Verse 17, I always pray to God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that he may grant to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation of insight into mysteries and secrets in the deep and intimate knowledge of him by having the eyes of your heart flooded with light so that you can know and understand the hope to which he has called you and how rich is his glorious inheritance in the saints, his set-apart ones, verse 19, and so that you can know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of his power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the workings of his mighty strength. On Jesus' third and final repetition of his question, Peter, do you love me? Peter literally broke down in uncontrollable tears because he was ashamed of his sinful offense once the divine revelation of Christ's agape love for him personally came within the hearing of his ears. Jesus' precious words bypassed Peter's mind and penetrated deep within his heart and spirit. And upon hearing the electrifying and resounding revelatory words of his Christ, these divine words hid his spirit and opened up a whole new realm or world and meaning in life for Peter. And since agape love springs from God and expresses his nature and is only acceptable to God the Father through love to his Son, it is then found only as the perfect expression of reciprocal love back to God as we live in Christ and demonstrate it by the fruit of his Spirit. this fruit has visual viable and living evidence called kindness in words deeds and actions and this fruit flows from the love of god through a soul that has been broken through the deep heart-rending and purging work of the holy spirit and has grown to hate sin as much as God hates it. The heart of these people have experienced a divine, sobering, and deep work of God's Spirit who has laid bare the wretchedness of their own hearts and souls. And now, this secret heartbreak is known to them alone and has left them totally aware and powerfully humiliated and graciously thankful of the consolations and compassion of their Savior, which the proud, insensitive, and unthankful ones are not privileged to know or receive. It distinctly and selectively belongs to the chosen and faithful elect of God Almighty and to them alone. the lax, lame, hypocritical goat crowd will never know the deep agony of this sin-purging work of the precious Holy Spirit in their lives because they were too busy giving deceptive, external, religious manifestations of supposed and alleged godly righteousness and charitable contributions which are only looked upon by God as odious self-righteousness and prideful works of a deluded and deceptive mind and heart with evil intentions. These will have their day of judgment all too soon because the Holy Spirit did not work the fruit of righteousness in His love and goodness and graciousness in their hearts. They never were sold out to the command of obeying the will of God as Jesus Christ, our pattern, had requested when he demonstrated his Father's mercy to the world. John 6, 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will and purpose, but to do the will and purpose of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should not lose any of all that he has given me, but that I should give new life and raise them all up on the last day. And this is my Father's will and his purpose, that every one of us who sees the Son and believes and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on him should have eternal life. And I will raise him up from the dead at the last day. This was the most important and specific work and purpose for Jesus in coming. He came down from heaven to do only his Father's will, and even though most of those who heard and saw him rejected him, yet he did the will of God and was given all power and authority to execute it. Salvation, then, would come to those who come to Jesus and live in him, proving their love to him by their habitual conformity to his will. Jesus was faithful to achieve, to complete, to consummate the will of his Father, knowing that his Father's will is always right and fitting. Jesus set the pace and course for each one of us who lives and dwells in his example of being a faithful son or daughter who obey the will of our Father in Heaven and who would never think to misuse and abuse the Word of God for our own advantage because we know too well that out of this God kind of love we have come to know through the Holy Spirit's divine miraculous and astounding heartbreaking work of laying bare the wretchedness of our own sinful and naturally proud nature and clearly showing how abhorrent and despicable it is to God Almighty when we do our own thing which is contrary to his will. As a result, as I had previously said, This heartbreaking revelation is known to these alone and has left them totally aware of the powerfully humiliating, gracious thankfulness of the promises, the consolations and compassions of their precious Savior, which the proud and insensitive and unthankful will never be privileged to know or receive unless they come to true repentance and live in God's will, as Jesus Christ, our pattern, has demonstrated. Just like Peter, the true saints of God have experienced Jesus' precious words of love, which have bypassed their minds and penetrated deep within their hearts upon hearing the electrifying and resounding revelatory words of Christ as his words hit their spirit and open up a whole new realm or world and meaning in life for them. Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me? These are powerful words which Jesus puts forth in question to each one of us and has a right to do so to those who profess to be his because he considers it a right of his to ask since he requires it. And it is a prerequisite, so to speak, in the act of yours and my initial salvation experience. The grounds for this claim of love for his people lies in the fact that the most important bottom line paramount commandment in both the Old and the New Testament is, you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your entire being, and with all of your might. Now, for what our Savior has done, and what he has given, and who he is as God's Son in bestowing peace upon men, and having made eternal life possible, He then sets a value on his people's love. If somebody else asks you, do you love Jesus Christ? The impact of their inquiry could not possibly carry the weight of impact more than when Jesus Christ himself asked you that question just as he did Peter. You see again, since agape love springs from God and expresses his nature and is only acceptable to God the Father through love to his Son, it is then found only as a perfect expression of reciprocal love back to God as we live in Jesus Christ and demonstrate it by the fruit of his Spirit. it distinctly and selectively belongs to the chosen and faithful elect of God Almighty and to them alone. It is here where we see and know the difference between the sheep and the goats. This kind of love is like oil to the wheels of obedience. It empowers the faithful ones to habitually walk and run in the way of God's truth according to his commands and not according to the rules and dictates that come by way of men's imaginations or intellect, which will only lead us away from the truth. Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 13, verse 3, without this kind of love, we are as nothing, and proves to be so because the Holy Spirit-inspired love will never fail, but rather will always flourish in producing fruit that is in keeping with one's initial repentance. And this is saying that the one who professes to be a Christian is always moving forward in maturity and conformity, which the scriptures teach and demand for Christ, the holy and upright people. In Luke 22, verse 32, Jesus prayed that Peter's faith might not fail. And scripture reveals also that Peter's faith did not fail, and thus his love did not fail either, because true, sincere faith in God will work by a compassionate, ardent, and loyal love for him. After Peter's heartbreaking test and astounding revelation of his Savior's deep love for him and his own personal attachment and love to Jesus Christ, Jesus committed to Peter's care his lambs and his sheep. Jesus entrusted his flock, the church, into Peter's hands. Peter received a special leadership assignment and was consecrated to do the Lord's work after he was tried and tested. It is only in this place, then, can we be assured that our good works for God's kingdom will be acceptable to him and within the confines of his will and that we will not be guilty of corrupt teaching and error because we did not build upon the foundation as instructed throughout Scripture. Good works can only spring forth from a sincere believing heart, which can be worked and accepted by one who is truly reconciled to God. Ephesians 2 For we are God's own handiwork, His workmanship, recreated in Christ Jesus born anew, that we may do those good works which God predestined beforehand for us, taking paths which he prepared ahead of time, that we should walk in them, living the good life which he prearranged and made ready for us to live. Good works have the glory of God as their objective, and they have the revealed and proven will of God as their only rule and conduct. Good works are an expression of gratitude in the believer heart and are fruits of the Holy Spirit promptings And it must be understood that without holiness no man or woman shall see the Lord Neither adulterers or thieves or liars or covetousness or drunkards will ever inherit the kingdom of God. Their good works are futile before God, and therefore only those who are holy or faithful in keeping and holding fast to the mandates of God's word will present good works, which will be acceptable to God and his Son, Jesus Christ. God will judge each one of us on the basis of our conformity, on our obedience, and our love for his truth. He will judge us on how we treated our brothers and sisters in Christ. And again, your good works are not the basis, but the proof of your salvation. Look with me, please, in Matthew 25, verse 31. Matthew 25, verse 31. When the Son of Man comes in his glory, his majesty in splendor, and all of the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Verse 32 All nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them, the people, from one from another, as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats. And he will cause the sheep to stand at his right hand and the goats on his left. and then the king will say to those on his right hand, Come you, blessed of my father, you favored of God and appointed to eternal salvation. Inherit and receive as your own the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Verse 35. When I was hungry, you gave me food. I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you brought me together with yourselves and welcomed and entertained and lodged me. I was naked and you clothed me, and I was sick and you visited me with the help of administering care. I was in prison and you came to see me. Separating the sheep from the goats is actually another expression for dividing the holy from the profane and arises out of disobedience, and disobedience essentially results from a hardened heart. Paul actually experienced these kind of wolves and goats amongst the church in his day in ministry. Acts 18, verse 1 through 10, give account of where the Jews opposed and reviled Paul for telling the truth in giving his testimony that Jesus is the Christ. And finally, in discuss in this account, Paul told them that their blood was upon their own heads and that he was innocent of it, and from that point on, he went on to the Gentiles. In essence, he was dealing with hardened and disobedient hearts who disobeyed and perverted his ways, and Paul eventually separated himself from them like a shepherd separates from the sheep and the goats. And at one point when Paul knew it was more than enough time in dealing with them, he made a separate church as he had done at Thessalonica and at Corinth. And this is what scripture tells us is going to happen again. Only this time it will be a once and for all a final time that separation of the sheep from the goats will occur. When Jesus Christ comes a second time, before him will be gathered all nations and he will separate them as the shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. And this time he will call his chosen ones out of this wicked and evil generation, leaving the unbelievers and those who thought to put off their salvation and necessary preparation and the cleansing of their souls. These will stand before him as guilty sinners without excuse and dumbfounded at their discovery. And that their riches, their status in the world, their poverty, their self-righteous pride and knowledge and evil scheming sinks and pales into insignificance as they stand before the great judge, the Lion of Judah, knowing too well their awful and dreadful fate for eternity. Again, the goats represent the wicked men and women of the earth who refused God's gift of salvation. and those who fleeced the sheep and made themselves fat off of them by peddling and marketing their wares and perverted lies and new, mysterious, and intriguing doctrines they claimed came from God. Christians who are immature and who never grew far beyond their initial salvation experience spent their time rushing to hear the newest and latest things these deceivers presented only to fall into their snares and nets of bondage and slavery, and they too will be cast into the fiery pit along with the goats and the wolves and the god-haters. One thing we must know and comprehend is that the unrestrained wickedness of the unrenewed heart leads on to misery that manifests itself in the eternal fire called eternal death, where the soul experiences every bodily anguish, and that is possible to where its pain is heightened to the highest degree unimaginable. Malachi chapter 3 verse 2 declares, But who can endure the day of his coming? And who can stand up when he appears? He is like a refiner's fire and like fuller's soap. Verse 17 of this same chapter speaks of the righteous, and the Lord says, They will be mine, says the Lord Almighty, in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. Ezekiel 34, verse 1, gives us an account that specifically speaks of the wolves and the goat leaders. Verse 1 in Ezekiel 34. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, even to the spiritual shepherds, Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the spiritual shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the sheep? Verse 3, You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you kill the fatlings, but you do not feed the sheep. The diseased, weak, you have not strengthened. The sick, you have not healed. The hurt and crippled, you have not bandaged. Those who have gone astray, you've not brought back. The lost, you have not sought to find out. But with force and hard-heartedness, you have ruled them. Verse 5, And they were scattered because there was no shepherd. And when they were scattered, they became food for all the wild beasts of the field. My sheep wandered through all the mountains and upon every high hill. Yes, my sheep were scattered upon the face of the earth, and no one searched or sought for them. Verse 7. Therefore, you spiritual shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. As I live, says the Lord, surely because my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food for every wild beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherd search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves and fed not my sheep. Verse 9 Therefore, O you spiritual shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand, and I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and neither shall the shepherds feed themselves anymore. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them. Well, we have so many examples of the wolves and the goats in the church today who are guilty of these horrible and atrocious sins of stealing Christ's inheritance. We have those in the church who preach and teach another gospel and are guilty of mixing the truth of God with lies and teachings that they say God has given them. Permit me to say, if you will, if you do not know God's word for yourself, you will find yourself following these kinds of leaders in hot pursuit and will be amongst those who will be looking for something that is more mystical and intriguing and also brings manifestations and works of darkness, but appear to be supernatural works of God. But yet you will be ignorant of this fact because of your preference to incline and hear the profane and vile doctrines of demons. the church has become so lax and lazy in seeking god and his goodness and proving the word for themselves the mix in the church is so vile and god is at the point in our day and time when he will tolerate it no longer dear church the voice of warning has been going out to the church in these last days and god has been raising up his voice through those he has commissioned to warn his people who will have ears to hear and eyes to see that it is time to attend to the affairs and preparation of their souls before all hell breaks loose on the earth and Jesus Christ returns in all splendor and glory to judge between the sheep and the goats. Revelation chapter 6 verse 12 gives further explanation of this final day in the very near future. Verse 12, when he the lamb broke open the sixth seal. I looked, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun grew black as sackcloth of hair. The full disk of the moon became like blood. Verse 13, and the stars of the sky dropped to the earth like a fig tree shedding its unripe fruit out of season when shaken by a strong wind. And the sky rolled up like a scroll vanished, and every mountain and island was dislodged from its place and the kings of the earth and their noblemen and their military chiefs and the wealthy and the strong and everyone whether slave or free hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains verse 16 and they called to the mountains and the rocks fall on before us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the deep-seated indignation and wrath of the Lamb. The great day of his wrath, whose vengeance, retribution, and indignation has come, and who is able to stand before it? You see, this division will happen immediately. This division will be keen, intense, sharp, and stinging. And it will be felt like a husband who has been torn away from his wife or a parent from their children. And it will be worldwide. And the breadth and scope of its separation will be felt like two distinct emotions of those who have complete joy and happiness versus complete misery and doom. The separation of the sheep from the goats will be final, and Jesus will be the separator, and the true sheep will step into the rightful place in heaven when Jesus gives them the command to come up here. The goats will experience the terror as Christ divides them, and they will have no room or space to defend themselves because they did not prove their love to him when they had the opportunity. They will not have the question presented to them as Peter did when Jesus asked him, Peter, do you love me? No, they will only hear, where are your wedding garments? You see, it's too late at this time for any defense. All will pass under Christ's rod. Many people will try to offer defense, but their good works in feeding the poor or anything else went before they sat long enough at Christ's feet and listened to him while he endeavored to feed them the truth of his word. They put the cart before the horse, so to speak, and built kingdoms for themselves. And Jesus Christ is so full of love that he would not destroy a sinner unless it had to be. He is the only one with the power and authority to commit anyone to hell. 1 Corinthians 4, verse 5 declares, Do not make any hasty or premature judgments before the time when the Lord comes again, for he will both bring to light the secret things that are now hidden in darkness, and disclose and expose the secret aims and motives and purposes of the heart, then every man will receive his due commendation from God. Whatever any sinner held to be of great importance at this time, meaning all of their riches, their treasures, their vile sins, their involvement in distractions with technology and or excuses because of poverty, will be disclosed and, as I had said before, will pale into insignificance at this time. They stand before the great judge. Shutting one's eyes to any form of the truth is to be guilty of refusing to see true light, who is Jesus Christ himself. The goats and the wolves have only hardened their arms to present to Christ at this time. And the sheep are those who have admitted time after time I plead guilty to my sin. I am a guilty sinner. He does not offer excuse or offer it in vain or say these words out of an insincere heart. They have paved the way to further understanding of the truth of God's word and received revelation which made them hungry for more because they turned away from each sin which they had repented of. They didn't go back to what we know in Scripture as the pig's wallow or a dog returning to its vomit. But this way only brings the sincere believer peace, and no more is he condemned. They seek the true light and learn to love it and live in it. But the goats and wolves cannot stand before the great judge with a pure conscience like the sincere believer and follower of Jesus Christ can. He can only offer himself to stand before Christ as a victorious Lion of Judah and accept his judgment. He has not believed in his Savior and has not conformed to his ways and precepts in the way that the Father demands. These have rejected the most exalted person and most loved by the Eternal Father in heaven. They will perish without mercy. They will have no excuses to defend them, and their own consciences will condemn them, and there will be no way of escape. Jesus said in John 10, verse 26, But you do not believe and trust and rely on me, because you do not belong to my fold. You are no sheep of mine, the sheep that are mine hear and are listening to my voice. and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed, and no one is able to snatch them out of my hand. What comfort for the true follower of Jesus Christ. They stand in the congregation of the righteous and have nothing to fear as long as they are faithful to the end and do not let the fire of their first love go out. Jesus Christ will set his sheep on his right side and the goats on his left. So they will make up two distinct bodies, one representing his faithful followers and the other called the wicked goats and the wolf crowd who are to be judged by Christ and assisted by his holy angels in the great assembly and council of the saints on this day Not one of the sinners shall remain in the company of the righteous or will ever appear in their privileged places ever again. bottom line in this word today separating the sheep from the goats is that if you have no true love for the person of jesus christ you will not have the key ingredient and necessary force jesus is looking for in each and every one of us and that is dear church true love and habitual conformity to his word and his ways. Love is the bright and animated force in serving Jesus Christ. And this understanding can only come, as I said before, it comes out of a God kind of love, which we have come to know through the Holy Spirit's divine, miraculous, and astounding, heartbreaking work of laying bare the wretchedness of our own sinful state in nature and clearly showing how repulsive and despicable it is to God Almighty when we do our own thing which is contrary to his will. As a result, as I had previously said, this secret, heartbreaking revelation is known to these alone and has left them totally aware and powerfully humiliated and graciously thankful of the promises and the consolations and compassion of our precious Savior, which the proud and the insensitive and unthankful will never be privileged to know or receive unless they come to true repentance and living God's will. Just like Peter, the true saints of God have experienced Jesus' precious words of love, which have bypassed their minds, penetrated deep within their hearts upon hearing the electrifying and resounding revelatory words of Christ as his words hit their spirits and opened up a whole new, a vast realm and world and meaning in life for them. When Jesus asked the question, do you love me? These are powerful words which he puts forth in question to each one of us. And he has a right to question us if we profess to be his. Because he requires that you shall love the Lord your God with all of your mind, all of your heart, with your entire being, and with all of your might. Let me ask you this parting question today. Have you ever heard your Savior ask you the question, do you love me? As a believer, it is imperative that we hear our Savior's voice, either in his words, his word, or as he speaks to our hearts. And I would say in this day and hour, if you have not personally heard the most important question that separates the sheep from the goats, which is, Do you love me from your personal Savior? I would say now is the time to be on your face beseeching the only one who can save you, because without love to him and his love to you, you are without the only transforming force that can make you like himself. without resembling the victorious lion of Judah on the day that he comes to divide the sheep from the goats, then these will only have proved to him that they hated him and they stand before him without excuse. Attending to the matters of your own soul now means that you will be able to stand before him and prove your love to him as he separates you on the side of the sheep and hear, Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and eat with me at my wedding feast. Thank you. The title of this message today is called Why the World Hates Christians. Only for prayer purposes do I look at the news periodically today. It seems what we see are the same ongoing headlines which scream out the failing economical and financial collapse of a great nation which is called America the Beautiful. The collapse of America is not by fluke or by accident, but rather has been strategically designed and orchestrated by sick and demented minds from every nation in this world for a number of years to bring about what is called the New World Order. As a true believer in Jesus Christ, You must understand that Scripture prophesied this final event happening in the end days. Jesus foretold this whole event in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 24. My husband and Lee and I are appalled when we visit with professing Christians in leadership wherever we go, And we find out that they have never heard of this worldwide conspiracy, an evil plan of an extremely powerful and influential group of individuals in the highest echelon of government, in politics, and yes, even in well-known religious groups or leaders, whose goal is to create a one-world religious order through an organization called the Ecumenical Movement, which is a modern-day apostate movement. The Ecumenical Movement places great emphasis in the Church today on uniting professing Christians of all denominations and beliefs. May I present Archbishop Hayan Barsemian, primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church in America. According to ecumenical protocol, the Eastern Orthodox would be first in order, as they are, of course, first in the priorities in the Catholic Church's ecumenical responsibility. ...the legged and ecumenical officer of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church in America and presently for the National Council of Churches in the United States. May I present Dr. Donald McCoy, representing the Striding Bishop Mark Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. May I present Bishop Jeremiah J. Park, Bishop of the New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Your Holiness may I present Reverend Wesley Granberg Michelson The General Secretary of the Reformed Church in America Your Holiness, may I present Reverend Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick, the stated clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. Your Holiness, may I present Reverend Dr. William J. Shaw, President of the National Baptist Convention, United States. Your Holiness, may I present Bishop James Leggett, General Superintendent of the International Pentecost Holiness Church. Your Holiness, may I present Dr. Leith Anderson, President of the National Association of Evangelicals. Your Holiness, may I present Bishop David H. Benke, President of the Atlantic District of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. Your Holiness may I present Reverend Dr. A.R. Bernard Sr. President of the Council of Churches of the City of New York Your Holiness may I present Elder Bernice A. King daughter of the civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. Your Holiness, may I present Reverend Jimmy Song Jilin, Executive Director of the Council of Churches of the City of New York. Your Holiness, may I present the right Reverend Mark Sisk, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. The good-sounding but deceiving message is that we are all not so different from one another after all, and we can work together and be unified in our efforts. This movement is spearheaded by Satan the devil through workers of iniquity. Go with me please in our first scripture today opening in 2 Corinthians 6.14. 2 Corinthians 6.14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness? Verse 15. What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial the devil? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? what agreement can there be between a temple of God and idols for we are the temple of the living God even as God said I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them and I will be their God and they shall be my people verse 17 so come out from among them unbelievers and separate sever yourselves from them says the Lord And touch not any unclean thing, and I will receive you kindly and treat you with favor. And I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughter, said the Lord God Almighty. The goal of the New World Order agenda in the One World Church will demand strict obedience to their plan or program. Their intention is in effect to take complete and total control over every human being on the earth and to drastically and dramatically reduce the world's population by 5.5 billion people. Behind it all and steering this whole operation is the oldest term commonly referred to as the 13 bloodline families and their offshoots known as the Illuminati. They make up the major portion of this controlling elite. Most members of the Illuminati are also members of the highest rank of numerous secretive and occultic societies, which in many cases extend straight back to the ancient world. They have a structural pyramid of planning committees and organizations which the public has little or no knowledge of. In 1992, Dr. John Coleman published The Conspirator's Hierarchy. It is the story of the Committee of 300. With laudable scholarship and meticulous research, Dr. Coleman identifies the players and carefully details the Illuminati's agenda of worldwide domination and control. On page 161 of the Conspirators' Hierarchy, Dr. Coleman accurately summarizes the intent and purposes of the Committee of 300 as follows. He says, Dr. Coleman goes on to say, and a one-world unified military to enforce laws in all former countries where no national boundaries shall exist. The system will be on the basis of a welfare state. Those who are obedient and subservient to the one-world government will be rewarded with the means to live. Those who are rebellious will be starved to death or be declared outlaws and thus a target for anyone who wishes to kill them. Privately owned firearms or weapons of any kind will be prohibited. End of quote. Today, we see the governing elites' predominance of their idols being set up through the dominance and advocation of atheism, humanism, and communistic controls which have become mainstream and now accepted by most in every nation across this planet. There is a radical and moving contest for the hearts and souls and the minds of Americans to where we now face the formidable opponents in our government liberals who have occupied the seats of authority in the White House and have done much damage to our rights, laborers, in the Constitution. These people have proved themselves to be what they really are, and that is traitors to their nation, by the promotion of liberalism, Satanism, gross perversion, and promoting hatred for Jesus Christ and his followers through imposing new laws, which are diametrically opposite of the laws which have been in effect since the time of our founding fathers. with Christian rights being stripped and threatened from without and within this group of intelligent, well-dressed gobalists are convincing millions of Americans and other nations in the world that the only way to lasting peace is through the establishment of what is called the New World Order there was a man whose name is Marcus Tullius, Cicero Born on January 3rd, 106 BCE, he was murdered on December 7th, 43 BCE, for his political stance against the Roman Empire, and who said it in the best in relation to those who turned traitor on their own country and fellow countrymen. Quote, he says, itself. For the traitor appears not as a traitor. He speaks in the accents familiar to his victims and he wears their face and their garments and he peels to the baseness that lies within the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation. He works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city. He infects the body political so that it can no longer exist. A murderer is less to be feared. End of quote. And let me say and preface the ultimate goal and aim of this new world order. The secret society called the Illuminati is to eradicate and wipe out the inheritance of God Almighty and also all memory of his holy writings and his son Jesus Christ. This is their ultimate goal. The battle is between light and darkness and always has been from the beginning. The inheritance of our Lord Jesus Christ consists of those who are true disciples and followers of him. This is really the battle, precious ones. And it's been going on since our first parents, Adam and Eve, revolted against God in the garden when they disobeyed him by eating that one forbidden fruit. And ever since that day, Satan has been cleverly deceiving and destroying the masses of humankind with this cagey means of deception. this is truly a battle as I said between light and darkness or said in another way a battle between good and evil Jesus said in John's gospel in chapter 15 verse 18 if the world hates you know that it first hated me before it hated you the world represents Satan and his air and death and darkness. Whereas Jesus and his true followers represent the light and the truth of the gospel. And we must understand, of course, that the world is the object and the motivation of the creation and of God's love and his son, Jesus Christ, saving mission of eternal life. Please go with me to John 3, verse 16. world in order to judge, to reject, to condemn, or pass sentence on the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through him. And also please, John chapter 17, verse 21, and Jesus praying to the Father, said, Father, that they may all be one as you, Father and are in me and I in you that they may also be in us so that the world may believe and be convinced that you have sent me I have given them the glory and honor which you have given me that they may be one even as we are one verse 23 I in them and you and me in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and definitely recognize that you sent me and you have loved them even as you have loved me. You see, true followers of Jesus are in the world, but they do not belong to the world. The world hates Jesus and his disciples because they do not belong to it. The world loves only those who belong to it. They see eye to eye to all of the things that the world has to offer. Jesus said in our opening scriptures again in John 15 verse 18, If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. And if you belong to the world, the world would treat you with affection and would love you as its own. But because you're not of the world, no longer one with it, but I've chosen you. I've selected you out of the world, and the world hates you. Remember what I've told you. A servant is not greater than his master, is not superior to him. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word and obeyed my teachings, they will also keep and obey yours. Verse 21. But they will do all of this to you to inflict all this suffering on you because of your bearing my name and on my account, for they do not know or understand the one who sent me. And if I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin, would be blameless, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Verse 23, whoever hates me also hates my father. If I had not come and accomplished the works among them, which no one else ever did, they would not be guilty of sin. But the fact is, now they have both seen these works and have hated both me and my father. But this is so, that the word written in their law might be fulfilled. They hated me without cause. You see, Jesus clearly defines here the difference between two kingdoms. Satan's kingdom is that of hatred and clever deception. And Christ's kingdom is that of love and truth. Hopefully, you can see in a previous learn through hearing the truth of God's word, that God is love. God gave us his all, dear church. When God gave his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, he gave us his all. Coming to Jesus through his death, his burial and resurrection, is the only way by which we might inherit eternal life through his sacrifice upon the cross. This is the ultimate sacrifice of love. Those who are in the world are full of hatred. We were all there once too. Our chief apostle tells us, Colossians chapter 1 verse 21, Although you at one time were estranged and alienated from him, and were of hostile attitude in your mind in your wicked activities. Yet now has Christ the Messiah reconciled you to God in the body of his flesh through death in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in the Father's presence. Verse 23. And this he will do provided that you continue to stay with and in the faith in Christ well grounded and settled and steadfast, not shifting and moving away from the hope which rests on and is inspired by the glad tidings of the gospel which you heard and which has been preached as being designed and offered without restriction to every person under heaven of which gospel I, Paul, became minister. Those who are unredeemed are children of this world and belong to Satan the devil. they eat from the tree of good and evil they are totally devoted to the world and the things of the world and never give thought to a world hereafter they're blind they are blind and the world demonstrates a spiteful, envious and revengeful spirit towards anything resembling God's goodness and this is not the spirit of Jesus Christ which motivates them but rather it is the spirit of the world which belongs to Satan the devil. The true children of God have been called out of darkness and bear the image and likeness of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ their Savior. These eat from the tree of life and live in the light. The true children of God, even though they are taught to hate sin and the sin of sinners. Yet they do not hate the person, but rather they are to love and do good unto all men. John 15, 19 declares, If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you're not of the world, I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. So if you belong to the world, the world will love you. Yet the world does not inquire after God, even though he's given them the same knowing in their inner being that he does exist. Romans chapter 8 verse 7 tells us that because the mind of flesh, with its carnal thoughts and purposes, is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's law, indeed it cannot. Verse 8. So then those who are living the life of the flesh, catering to the appetites and impulses, of their carnal nature cannot please or satisfy God or be acceptable to Him. So the world's neglect of seeking the God who created and loves them is the result of their hatred towards Him and those who do love Him. And not only this, but the unredeemed of the world lack spiritual perception. They cannot see beyond the nose on their face as far as their true spiritual outcome, their direction and deception. Please look with me in 1 Corinthians 2.14 but the natural non-spiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God for they are folly, meaningless, nonsense to him and he's incapable of knowing them progressively recognizing and understanding becoming better acquainted with them because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated Verse 15. But the spiritual man tries all things, examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things. Yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one. He can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern or appraise or get insight into him. Verse 16. For who has known or understood the mind, the counsels, and purposes of the Lord? so as to guide and instruct him and give him knowledge. But we have the mind of Christ, the Messiah, and do hold the thoughts and feelings and purposes of his heart. Well, another reason the world loves things the way they are and harbors such hatred towards Christianity is because they are intoxicated with vain pleasures of the earth and they cannot imagine life any other way than the way it is for them now. The ways and teachings of Jesus seem fanatical and weak to one who is perishing. There was a 14th century politician who was an atheist and philosopher who said, if there is no God, then everything is permitted. if there is no God then everything is permitted we see that so much today you see pride prevents these from seeking after God even though he fills their houses with good things Job 22 verse 17 declares they say to God depart from us And what can the Almighty do for or to us? Yet, verse 18 says, yet he fills their houses with good things. And still they recognize him not. Psalms chapter 10, verse 4 declares, The wicked one in the pride of his countenance will not seek, inquire, and yearn for God. all of his thoughts are that there is no God, so he never punishes. The Bible teaches that the unredeemed of the world are held captive by Satan the devil. They are his servants, and they obey him. They are his slaves and do his bidding. Because of all these reasons and more, this is the general rule by which the unsaved harbor great hatred against those who are true Christians and against the author of this way of life they fail to see their own way of life as sinful and offensive to the one who created them and loves them and died for them in order that they may share in eternal life and thus will not see or experience the place those who hate and refuse to obey must be sent, and that is to their place in hell and its torment forever and ever. The world hates the things that God loves. What Jesus blesses and loves, the world curses. The favored heirs of heaven have never been the darlings of the world. since the days of old when enmity was put between the seeds of the woman and of the serpent. God shows us through the word this very fact when we see that Cain hated and killed his brother Abel because his works and offerings to God were righteous and good and pleased God. Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing and joseph's brothers hated him because his father loved him and he honored and because he honored and reverenced the almighty god saul hated david because the lord was with him and ahab hated Micaiah because of his convincing and condemning prophecies Such are the causeless causes and fruit of the world hatred But you must remember, Jesus forewarned us of a very important fact in John's Gospel, chapter 15, verses 20-22. when he said, Remember that I told you, a servant is not greater than his master, is not superior to him. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word and obeyed my teachings, they will also keep and obey yours. But they will do this to all of you to inflict all this suffering on you because of your bearing my name and on my account, for they do not know or understand the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin, would be blameless, but now they have no excuse for their sin. And this is saying that the world will persecute you and me because they hate us. But we are to remember that it first hated our master, dear church. Hatred is a restless and relentless passion. It is the common lot and experience for those who will live devoted godly lives in Christ, just as it was for Christ as he had to experience the hatred of the world around him when he walked the earth. 2 Timothy 3.12 declares, 2 Timothy 3.12 Indeed, all who delight in piety and are determined to live a devoted and godly life in Jesus Christ will meet with persecution, will be made to suffer because of their religious stand. But wicked men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and leading astray others and being deceived and led astray themselves. verse 14 but it's for you continue to hold to the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced knowing from whom you have learned them now jesus foresaw the ill treatment of his disciples that they would meet with in the world and yet for the sake of the few that by their ministry were to be called out of the world he sent them forth as sheep in the midst of wolves christ's true followers will not partake of other men and women's sinful practices and this is one reason why they are so hated by the ungodly and are found to be such a reproach to them and recipients of their hatred the Christian cross is to be an ordinary lot to all true Christians the malice of Satan who knowing that himself was cast out of heaven by the almighty and since that time hates God with a cruel a ruthless and unrelenting hatred and since the Lord God is above and beyond the reach of Satan's malice he and his demons hatred now falls upon those who are dearest to the Lord and precious to his son Jesus Christ. The Lord foresaw and he warned ahead of time of the world's hatred for his followers. And this was truly a demonstration of his love for us dear church. He has never left his precious people in the dark about anything. but you know even though we are warned in advance Christians living in the United States of America have never seen nor experienced the kind of persecution that our brothers and sisters have in nations where Christianity is forbidden and where they are murdered and even driven from their homeland to flee from one nation to another we in the United States have endured cold looks but we may have received a cold shoulder or even rude gestures of impatience or jeers or comments slandering, character assassination we've even had doors shut in our faces but as of yet we have not had to flee from one state to another from one country to another in fear of losing our lives Jesus said in Matthew's gospel chapter 10 verse 23 he said when they persecute you in the one town that is pursue you in a manner that would injure you and cause you to suffer because of your belief flee to another town for truly I tell you you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the son of man comes should we be surprised to know that today even in the United States handing out gospel tracts or preaching on a street corner or refusing to cater in business to homosexual groups has been growing by leaps and bounds and is now known as a quote hate crime and has already landed people in jail and also they have been fined great sums of money the government subtly hides behind the gay movement and the atheist movement who claim that the gospel hurts their feelings when they hear the truth or they see a cross on government land or monuments or see a plaque of the Ten Commandments displayed in government buildings. This is offensive to them. And since this last president has taken office, the removal of these Christian reminders of our founding fathers have been systematically stripped away on the grounds that people have their feelings hurt. That's all it takes today to have our constitutional rights changed is complain that your feelings have been hurt. People like this will have more than their feelings hurt when they burn in hell for eternity if they do not wake up and receive the free offer of eternal life from the one who created them and died for them because he loves them. This is all an underhanded communistic strategy and method to silence the gospel and stamp out those who publicly proclaim it. They are accused today of being guilty of a hate crime in America. In reality, the only hate crime, dear church, is to know the gospel truth of Jesus Christ and yet fail to warn wicked evildoers of the coming judgment of God that is right at hand. Even in the face of persecution, genuine believers must not keep silent. May it be said of us who are true Christians and lovers of Jesus Christ, I have believed and therefore I have spoken. in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verse 13 Apostle Paul wrote yet we have the same spirit of faith as he who had wrote I believed and therefore I have spoken we too believe and therefore we must speak it is true that Christians have a bad reputation for being unkind intolerant harsh, judgmental, and self-righteous, and oh yes, uneducated. But now when you speak about or live by a moral absolute, you will be persecuted and attacked by people who do not want to be told how they should live, either by your words or by your example, and will accuse you of being unkind, intolerant, harsh, judgmental, and self-righteous. You know, Jesus wasn't well liked when he walked on the earth and don't forget that he was rejected by his own people. Again, I remind you, Jesus said, if the world hates you, keep in mind that it first hated me. If you belong to the world, it would love you as its own. And as it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you. I've chosen you out of the world, and that is why the world hates you. I would like to say at this point in the message today that, again, I remind you as entitled, Why the World Hates Christians is ultimately because his true followers mirror the nature and character of God's holiness and righteous way of living. So many times people in the world vehemently hate Christians not because of the message of our Lord, but because of the attitude we project when we seek to convey the message of our Master. Many Christians come across as harsh, bang people over the head with the Bible, who are unfeeling, self-righteous, unforgiving, or defensive and intolerant. You know, people were drawn to Jesus because of his love, of his understanding, his patience, his sensitivity, and his kindness. Those who had ears to hear heard his life-saving message, but there were still those who refused him and the message that his father had sent him to speak. and with the weak Jesus was gentle and with the arrogant he was firm and with the foolish he was patient and with the foxy and cunning he was wise but Jesus himself was never proud never demanding merciless or disagreeable far too often well meaning Christians are these latter descriptions of bad examples to the world. They do not mirror the real nature and character of Christ's holiness and his righteousness which won many lost souls to himself in his day and even up to this day as well by those who do present the gospel. Truly Christ's example is the right one for us to follow as we serve our loving creator and Lord and we abandon the outward trappings of religiosity and good appearance. You see, these but lack the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit who will convict and convince sinners on their way to hell that they need their loving Savior's grace to redeem them from the strongholds of the evil o

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