And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:46)

If the sheep and goat judgment is to take place immediately at the return of the Lord Jesus, consider the consequences of some people having eternal life and being in the Kingdom of God, and others being in the Lake of Fire, throughout the thousand-year period.

This would mean that the righteous people, being in the Kingdom of God and possessing eternal life, would be being ruled with a rod of iron and broken in pieces. This would not be impossible because even the righteous of today are saved with difficulty.

And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. (Revelation 2:27)

This would mean that the righteous people, being in the Kingdom of God and possessing eternal life, would be among the nations that revolt against the saints at the end of the thousand-year period. Again, this is not impossible because we may notice that people that have served the Lord for many years will meet some hurdle that will cause them to rebel against the Lord. Satan deceives them in some manner or another and they do not keep themselves strong enough in the Lord to overcome the temptation.

And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. (Revelation 20:8,9)

This would mean also at the White Throne judgment, which takes place after the thousand-year period, after the present earth and heaven have passed away with a great noise, the "sheep" would be resurrected and stand before God and be judged once again. We know that the "sheep" would not experience resurrection prior to the end of the thousand-year period because only the royal priesthood is raised when the Lord come. The rest of the dead must wait until the end of the thousand years.

But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:5)

If the sheep and goat judgment takes place at the beginning of the thousand years, when the Lord returns, then the "goats," being members of nations alive on the earth at the coming of the Lord, would be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire before they died physically. The Scripture teaches that it is appointed to men once to die and after this be judged.

We understand that the Beast and the False Prophet are cast into the Lake of Fire without having died physically, but we believe this to be an exception.

With all this in mind, perhaps the reader can understand why we are not certain about the placing the sheep and goat judgment at the beginning of the thousand-year Kingdom Age.

To be continued.