Why did the sheep in Matthew 25 risk their lives to do the works Jesus commends?
They risked their lives because they were believers who had the love of Christ in their hearts. Having responded to the preaching of the 144,000 and survived the tribulation, they acted from that inward love, much like Christians in Nazi Germany who hid Jews and endangered themselves.
Les explains that the sheep in Matthew 25 represent the believers who survive the tribulation after responding to the preaching of the 144,000. Jesus brings the survivors before His throne room in Jerusalem and tells the sheep to enter the kingdom because they visited Him in prison, fed Him when hungry, gave Him drink, and clothed Him when naked. Their works were not cold duty; they flowed from the love of Christ in their hearts. Like Christians in Nazi Germany who hid Jews, they put their own neck on the block, risking their lives for that love.
More Questions
Who are the sheep in the sheep-and-goats judgment in Matthew 25?
In the Matthew 25 judgment of the sheep and goats, the sheep are the believers among the small group of Tribulation survivors.