The Final Judgement
Religious Studies: OCR A Level, topic 3.2.4
The Final Judgement
The key ideas in Jesus’ parable on Final Judgement, **‘The Sheep and the Goats’ **(Matthew 25:31–46) are summarised below.
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.
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.
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.
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Quote analysis
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Quote analysis - 2
Test yourself on The Final Judgement
According to the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, when is Judgment expected to occur?
What is the best interpretation of the below quote?
'People who have helped the hungry, thirsty, strangers, etc., are invited to heaven'.