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The Last Days—A Time of HarvestThe Watchtower—1988 | January 1
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Moreover, Jesus himself prophesied about this “great crowd.” He said: “When the Son of man arrives in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will put the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.”—Matthew 25:31-33.
10. (a) By what means is “the harvest of the earth” being reaped? (b) Who only are cooperating with the angels in this work?
10 Yes, all mankind is being scrutinized to see who are “sheep” and who are “goats.” How is this examining work accomplished? In John’s vision, “the harvest of the earth” is reaped in conjunction with powerful messages proclaimed by angels. One angel declares a message of “everlasting good news.” Another announces the fall of “Babylon the Great.” And a third warns against worship of “the wild beast,” Satan’s political system of things. (Revelation 14:6-10) True, nobody has heard the actual voices of these angels. But they have heard corresponding messages being uttered by faithful humans. (Matthew 24:14; Isaiah 48:20; Zechariah 2:7; James 1:27; 1 John 2:15-17) So, clearly, the messages are broadcast by human mouthpieces under angelic direction. A person is identified as a ‘sheep’ or as a ‘goat’ by the way he responds to the angelic messages.
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The Last Days—A Time of HarvestThe Watchtower—1988 | January 1
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But remember, in Jesus’ parable the “sheep” who depart into everlasting life are those who show helpfulness toward Jesus’ anointed brothers and cooperate with them. (Matthew 25:34-40, 46)
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