3.2.4

The Final Judgement

Test yourself

The Final Judgement

The key ideas in Jesus’ parable on Final Judgement, ‘The Sheep and the Goats’ (Matthew 25:31–46) are summarised below.

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Introduction

  • The Parable of the Sheep and Goats is found in Matthew 25:31-46.
    • Jesus uses the example of a shepherd who separates his sheep from his goats to help his followers understand what judgement will be like.
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The goats

  • The parable tells of a final judgment from God, who will assess the worthiness of each person’s life.
  • This will happen when the ‘Son of Man’ (Jesus) returns again at the end of history.
  • The goats were those who did not feed the hungry or were not hospitable to the stranger.
  • The goats were those who refused to give clothes to the naked and did not visit the prisoner in prison.
    • So, the goats are condemned to ‘eternal punishment’ in hell.
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The sheep

  • Jesus rewards those who cared for others with an entirely different fate.
  • Jesus refers to such individuals as sheep in the parable.
  • The sheep are ‘righteous’ and given ‘eternal life’.
    • They showed empathy, love and kindness to their neighbour.
    • They fed the hungry, visited the sick and those in prison.
  • The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats implies that Judgment will occur when Jesus returns in the Second Coming.

Jump to other topics

1Philosophy of Religion

1.1Ancient Philosophical Influences: Plato

1.2Ancient Philosophical Influences: Aristotle

1.3Ancient Philosophical Influences: Soul, Mind, Body

1.4The Existence of God - Arguments from Observation

1.5The Existence of God - Arguments from Reason

1.6Religious Experience

1.7The Problem of Evil

1.8The Nature & Attributes of God

1.9Religious Language: Negative, Analogical, Symbolic

1.10Religious Language: 20th Century Perspective

2Religion & Ethics

3Developments in Christian Thought

3.1Saint Augustine's Teachings

3.2Death & the Afterlife

3.3Knowledge of God's Existence

3.4The Person of Jesus Christ

3.5Christian Moral Principles

3.6Christian Moral Action

3.7Development - Pluralism & Theology

3.8Development - Pluralism & Society

3.9Gender & Society

3.10Gender & Theology

3.11Challenges

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