Hello Sunbeam,
If we consider this scripture, it tells us that there are two judgements that all people must pass through: -
Ezekiel 34:17-24: - 17 "As for you, My flock, thus says the Lord God, 'Behold, I will judge between one sheep/{flock} and another, between the rams and the male goats. 18 'Is it too slight a thing for you that you should feed in the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or that you should drink of the clear waters, that you must foul the rest with your feet? 19 'As for My flock, they must eat what you tread down with your feet and drink what you foul with your feet!'"
20 Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them, "Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 "Because you push with side and with shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns until you have scattered them abroad, 22 therefore, I will deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another.
23 "Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. 24 "And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the Lord have spoken.
The first judgement that I see is the separation of those that call Jesus Lord, i.e. those who believe in Him Whom God has sent, from those that do not call Jesus Lord, i.e. those who do not believe in Him Whom God has sent.
The second judgement is the separation of the rams from the male goats, which Jesus fleshed out with more details of the rod of Judgement who the people who call Jesus Lord, Lord, must pass under.
You have interpreted the Parable of the judgement of the Sheep and the Goats in this manner: -
Sunbeam: - While the first impression when we read this parable might be that (sheep) believers are judged by their works, the first thing Jesus says He will do is separate them from the (goats) nonbelievers.
which forces a very different outcome for the parable which is not supported by the context of the judgements made between the sheep and the Goats.
Both the sheep and the goats in this parable called Jesus, "Lord."
The Sheep in this parable had a heart after God's own heart and this can be seen in the "works" that the sheep did which reflected this. In other words, they not only renewed their minds, but they also put on their refurbished personhood that God intended them to have from the beginning of time.
However, the Goats in this parable did not have a heart after God's own heart and this can be seen in the "works" that the goats did not do, which reflected this. In other words, they only renewed their minds, but they did not put on the refurbished personhood that God intended them to have from the beginning of time.
When the Sheep and the Goats were judged they both asked the same basic question, "Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you? . . . ", and the Lord's response was very different to both.
To the Sheep He said that, "because you did it to the least of my brethren, you did it unto Me."
To the Goats He said that, "because you did not do it to the least of my brethren, you did not do it unto Me."
This is why I said in my previous post, "that we are going to be judged on how we work on our display of our beliefs."
Jesus also said in Luke 14:27: - "And
whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."
Bearing our cross is a form of work, it is displaying our beliefs to all the people around us.
Did not Jesus also say this: -
Matthew 7:21-23: - 21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
I often ask this question of people, "Are you prepared to die so that,
what you believe in, can be established and maintained? I find that many people are not prepared to die for what they believe in or put themselves in a place where they risk dying.
Doing God's work in this world does put a person into harms way from others and they will rise up against us and even kill us because of Him Whom we believe in Who was sent by God to refurbish the Salvation process.
When the time for the separation of the Sheep from the Goats comes, which group will we, "labelled as Christians who call Jesus Lord," all belong in?
Shalom
Edited a typo and adding for clarification in what was written.