I had to disagree with your last STATEMENT, He separates the SHEEP FROM THE GOATS.
Matthew 25:31-46 (HCSB)
31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
32 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.
33 He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left.
34 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.
35 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;
36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink?
38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You?
39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You?’
40 “And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
41 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!
42 For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink;
43 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.’
44 “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?’
45 “Then He will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me either.’
46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Many who think they are Sheep, are actually ONLY Goats. Jesus Himself calls them GOATS. The difference is Goats have not been BORN AGAIN, while Every Sheep, has been BORN AGAIN.
Now I will give you another INSIGHT:
When Jesus said:
Matthew 16:18 (YLT)
18 `And I also say to thee, that thou art a rock, and upon this rock I will build my assembly, and gates of Hades shall not prevail against it;
That is the Young's LITERAL TRANSLATION. Early in the Catholic Church History, perhaps as early as 313 A.D., the Catholic Church started calling itself the "Church", even though the WORD was ekklêsia which did not mean CHURCH when JESUS said it. It meant religious ASSEMBLY. I suspect, that the Priests that originally decided to CHANGE THE NAME TO CHURCH, did so, because they wanted to distance themselves from the O.T. ASSEMBLY. They actually did us a GREAT DISSERVICE, by changing the name.
Here is WHY. YES, JESUS CALLED true Believers of the Old Testament, the ASSEMBLY. Then He even INFERRED the OTHER SHEEP were the ASSEMBLY, TOO. Now look at this verse:
John 10:14-18 (HCSB)
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me,
15 as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep.
[Did HE not lay down his life for the O.T. ASSEMBLY TOO ? 1 Pet. 3:18.]
16 But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.
17 This is why the Father loves Me, because I am laying down My life so I may take it up again.
18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father.”
WHO IS JESUS TALKING TO WHEN HE SAID THOSE VERSES ? ? ? Remember the BIRTHDAY OF THE N.T. ASSEMBLY was not until the Day of Pentecost after His Ascension.
RIGHT, HE had to be talking to the LAST of the O.T. ASSEMBLY.
O.T. ASSEMBLY - BELIEVED that Messiah would come.
N.T. ASSEMBLY - BELIEVED that Messiah DID come.
It is the SAME FAITH as ABRAHAM understood that GOD WOULD PROVIDE A SUBSTITUTE for our SINS.
NOW LOOK AT VERSE 16. WHEN DOES IT SAY THE TWO FOLDS would become ONE FLOCK. THEN ? ? ?
AFTER THE N.T. ASSEMBLY is COMPLETE, is that not the way you read it ? ? ?
THAT WOULD BE AT THE RAPTURE.