61. The Goats Mentioned in Daniel and Matthew Symbolize People Devoted to a Faith Divorced from Caring

WE can tell that the goat in the eighth chapter of Daniel and the goats in the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew mean people devoted to a faith divorced from caring, because in those passages they are set in contrast to a ram and sheep, and rams and sheep mean people who are devoted to caring. In the Word the Lord is called the Shepherd, the church is called the fold, the people of the church in general are called the flock, and the individuals are called sheep; and since sheep mean people devoted to caring, in these passages goats mean people who are not devoted to caring.