The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

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In Matthew 24-25, Jesus is on the Mount of Olives with his disciples, responding to their questions about the future destruction of the temple and the end of the age. He closes out the so-called Olivet Discourse with the parable of the sheep and goats, revealing the preparation of a final place of judgment for Satan, evil spirits, and unbelievers.

A key verse reads: “Then he [the Son of Man] will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!’” (Matt. 25:41).

The central theme of this parable is that Christ separates believers from unbelievers at his return. Jesus also makes it clear that all angelic and human rebels are banished from his presence. This passage deals with human works, not as a condition of salvation, but as evidence of one’s regard for the Son of Man.

Consider the full text:

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.”

Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?”

And the King will answer them, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Then he will also say to those on the left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you didn’t take me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of me.”

Then they too will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help you?”

Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life (Matt. 25:31-46).

There is considerable disagreement among Bible commentators as to when this judgment takes place and who it involves as sheep and goats. Some interpreters believe this parable is a general description of the final judgment of all people – a summary of both the judgment seat of Christ for believers (Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10) and the great white throne judgment for unbelievers (Rev. 20:11-15), even though a thousand years or more may separate them. 

Others believe this parable teaches a particular judgment for those who survive the great tribulation and witness the return of Christ. This view is based, in part, on the fact that there is no mention of resurrection prior to this judgment. 

Further complicating the picture is how one understands the word “nations” in verse 32. It could be interpreted “Gentiles,” or as representatives of the world’s sovereign nations, or as individuals alive at the time of Christ’s glorious appearing.

Key truths from this parable

Whatever view one takes of the when and who of this parable, we may glean several key truths from Jesus’ teaching about the sheep and goats: 

First, this judgment occurs after the personal, visible, physical return of Christ with his angels. It’s also after Jesus is seated on his “glorious throne” (v. 31). New Testament writers use a variety of terms to describe this event. The king’s coming is his parousia (1 Thess. 4:15), a term used in the first century to describe a dignitary’s visit to a certain place. Christ’s return also is his epiphaneia, or visible appearance (1 Tim. 6:14), as well as his apocalypsis, or unveiling (1 Pet. 4:13). The return of the king is nothing less than the Day of the Lord (1 Cor. 1:8). And while Christ’s return is a celebrated event that all Christians eagerly anticipate, it also is a time of fearful judgment. 

Second, there is a separation of sheep and goats. Jesus employs this analogy to depict believers and unbelievers. Sheep and goats often graze together, as his listeners know. It takes the trained eye of a shepherd to separate them at the time of shearing. Sheep symbolize mildness, simplicity, innocence – the qualities of one completely dependent upon the shepherd for protection and care. They also are more highly valued because of their wool. Jesus refers to himself as a shepherd who faithfully separates the sheep from the goats. 

Jesus knows who belongs to him and who does not. “My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me,” he says in John 10:27. Further, he willingly lays down his life for his sheep (John 10:11). There are many other references to God/Christ as the shepherd and to his followers as sheep (see Ps. 23:1; 80:1; Zech. 13:7; Matt. 26:31; John 10:14, 16; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25; 5:4). In this parable, Jesus plainly teaches that a time is coming when those who are of his flock enjoy the benefits of his kingdom, while those who have rejected him are rejected themselves. 

Unlike sheep, goats are naturally quarrelsome and selfish – a stark contrast that highlights the profane and impure character of unbelievers. Goats also are associated with demonology and evil.

Knowing his sheep as distinct from the goats, Jesus sets the two apart, placing the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. In ancient times, the right hand is the place of honor. It denotes special privilege and authority. Jesus often is depicted at the right hand of the Father in heaven (e.g., Matt. 26:64; Rom. 8:34; Col. 3:1; Heb. 12:2). In contrast, the left is a place of dishonor.

Third, both the sheep and goats seem surprised at the rationale for their judgment: how they treated “the least of these brothers and sisters of mine” (v. 40). We know from Jesus’ own words that eternal life is received by faith and not by works (John 5:24). So, what Jesus seems to be saying is that the way his sheep treat God’s children demonstrates they truly know him. Meanwhile, the neglect with which the goats regard the same people reveals their disdain for the Great Shepherd. 

When Jesus makes the treatment of “the least of these” a personal matter, both the sheep and goats protest. “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?” the sheep ask in amazement. “When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?” (vv. 37-39).

The king responds, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (v. 40).

The righteous are amazed – not that Jesus says they acted out of love for him, but that he reveals himself as the personal object of their deeds. The wicked are shocked for the same reason. Their personal neglect of God’s people exposes their contempt for God himself. We should note that commentators generally understand “the least of these” to refer either to Christ’s followers, who humbly obey him and often suffer persecution as a result, or to anyone in need. In either case, the test is the way people standing in judgment treat those the world regards as insignificant.

Fourth, distinct places are prepared for the sheep and goats. Jesus tells the sheep, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (v. 34). God’s kingdom – that is, his reign, or authority to rule – has always existed and must be entered into by faith. 

Christ has known his sheep from eternity past and has “prepared” a special place of honor for them. This honor is bestowed when the kingdom of the world becomes “the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15). God’s kingdom is not an afterthought. Its citizens are elect from eternity past. After Christ’s return, Satan, sin, and death are fully and finally banished, and Christ makes everything new in the new heavens and new earth (2 Pet. 3:10-13; Rev. 21-22; cf. Isa. 65:17).

As for the goats, Jesus says, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (v. 41). In contrast to the sheep, who are welcomed into Christ’s kingdom, the goats are banished to a singular place prepared for Satan and evil spirits. 

The idea of banishment is consistent in New Testament teachings about those who reject Christ. Jesus calls false prophets “lawbreakers,” declares that he never knew them, and commands them to depart from him (Matt. 7:23). Paul writes of the day when Christ “takes vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord’s presence and from his glorious strength …” (2 Thess. 1:8-9). And at the great white throne judgment, the Judge throws the wicked into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15).

Note in Jesus’ words to the goats that hell is a place “prepared for the devil and his angels.” Put another way, Jesus does not tell the goats that hell is prepared for them, but for another race of beings – rebellious angels. There is no hint of redemption for the evil one and his angelic cronies. Christ did not come in the likeness of sinful and fallen angels, but in the likeness of sinful and fallen people. Salvation is God’s exclusive gift to humans, a gift denied to the evil one and fallen angels. 

Nevertheless, those who reject Christ occupy the same place of everlasting punishment as Satan. Just as saints enjoy everlasting life in the presence of the triune God and God’s holy angels, unbelievers experience banishment to hell, along with “the god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4) and his angelic minions. Unbelievers do not care for heirs of the kingdom because they have no regard for the king. And so, by their choice, the goats depart into eternal fire.

Fifth, this judgment is final and everlasting. The sheep gladly accept eternal life as the ultimate act of God’s grace. The goats, however, depart in stunned silence to hell. There is no higher court to which they may appeal. No second chances. No calls for clemency. No end to the consequences of their sin; that is, no annihilation, and no universal salvation. Just the stark reality of eternity in outer – and utter – darkness.

We have invested a good deal of time in this parable to show that Jesus clearly teaches a final judgment, as well as a final destination, for all people. God has prepared a place of blessing for those who submit willingly to his Son’s kingship. It’s a place of rest, peace, security, and joy in the presence of the triune God, his holy angels, and other heavenly beings. At the same time, those who reject the Lord’s gracious provision for their sin, and who rebel against his kingship, are cast into a place not prepared for them, but a place where they nevertheless suffer the same fate as the ones for whom hell is created: Satan and evil spirits. Together, they all go to a place of “eternal punishment,” while the redeemed enjoy “eternal life.” 

Next: But why is hell eternal?