There is nothing more important
and more serious than teaching the Word of God!
Would you open your front door
and let someone come into your house with big sack and dump their garbage
right in the middle of your living room floor?
You can teach any subject from the three "R's", to politics, to the sciences, or to sports. But one should be forewarned from the very Word of God, that the consequences of error, negligence, or willful misuse of God's Word by one who calls himself, or even herself, a shepherd of God's children, are grave in severity if not capital in punishment.
The analogy is this:
If you claim you possess in your sheath the quickest, sharpest, most powerful sword in the universe, the two-edged sword of the Lord, which is the Word of God (Rev. 1:16), and without having had any proper "sword training" from Him, you go out into the public and begin to haphazardly wield about with that sword, you can easily cause the spiritual death of many innocent people. How so? Because you see, unlike a physical sword which can only cut the body, the sword of God cuts right through soul and spirit. You had better be well trained and know what you are doing.
To that end, Jesus Christ told us not to fear those who wield physical swords that can only kill the flesh body. We are to reverence ONLY God and be on guard for anyone who comes wielding a spiritual sword claiming it is God's Word and they know how to use it.Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Let there be no doubts. We as Christian's are duty bound to hold our teachers and preachers responsible for what they teach, and just like the Bereans in Acts 17 who "checked out" in the scriptures everything that the apostle Paul told them, we need to check out in the scriptures everything our shepherds say too.Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
So here's another analogy:
Would you open your front door and let someone come into your house with big sack and dump their garbage right in the middle of your living room floor? You say you wouldn't?
Well, you would be much better off letting someone do that than to let someone come into your mind and dump their spiritual garbage there! Yet that's exactly what people do when it comes to those who claim to be preachers and teachers of God's Word. Many false shepherds (wolves in sheep's clothing) come to the doors of people's minds and tell them that they have a sack full of precious gems from their Father that they wish to give them (for a small tip of course, or preferably a large donation or pledge). So the people get all excited and let these crooks into their heads without checking what is in their bags, which of course there is no need to do because they are clearly marked "Christian". At this point the phonies proceed to go about dumping their spiritual garbage and "bull (beast) dung" into the seriously empty rooms of their minds. Hey, maybe this graphic picture will help some to SEE the mark (markings, droppings) of the beast which is IN the forehead not on it. The "mark of the beast" is deception, i.e. believing in one's mind that he has the genuine gems of God's truth when all he has are messy piles of spiritual garbage and doodoo which will cause him to worship the antichrist as Jesus.
So unless you have thoroughly checked a shepherd's "bag of goods" at the door of your mind and matched what is in his (or her) bag with the pictures contained in "The Complete Unabridged Guide to Genuine Precious Spiritual Gems", by Adonai Yahveh, then don't let them in. They will forever mess up your mental living room with sacks full of garbage mixed with "bull".
In our last study we learned in chapter 33 that repentance, a change of heart and mind, is necessary to turn our love to our Father and cease from following our former ways. That is the first step. We are then to manifest that change and that love by being "doers" of His Word, and not just hearers. So we therefore have an individual, personal responsibility to "eat the scroll" and "digest it" and believe Jesus Christ, the Word of God, rather than the traditions of men which lead to death. The reason we have spent so much time on this is because although we are about to learn that the false shepherds are going to pay dearly for starving and deceiving the people, one cannot use them as a "cop out" or an excuse for being Biblically illiterate and their reason for having been "slain by the sword" of the soon coming king of Babylon.
Here now is the LORD "telling it like it is" to the false shepherds of true Israel. You can use these words of the True Shepherd as a starting guide to check out your own "humanus shepherdous".
"Woe" means big, big trouble for those who are responsible for putting wholesome food in the feed troughs of God's sheep but are too busy feeding themselves and dining in fancy restaurants after having viciously sheared the hungry sheep while tossing them a few moldy crumbs of traditions. This without a doubt falls under the category of cruelty to animals on a spiritual level. Woe to those shepherds who are cruel to God's sheep!Ezekiel 34:1
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,[2] Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
Many preacher dudes live "high on the hog", and eat the best food, and wear $500 suits, and sheer the "fat cats", but let God's people, Their flock, starve to death because they don't teach any of God's Word.[3] Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
This is the reason that we are in the great famine of the end time, for the shepherds of our land do not prepare nutritious meals from the scroll, His Word, to give to the people to feed upon that they may become strengthened. Hence, our beautiful land from "sea to shining sea" has become a spiritual dearth and full of social ills and all sorts of spiritual diseases (pestilences) caused by the famine of truth.
Amos 8:11
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:[12] And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
The false shepherds have more than just neglected the physical maladies of the flock, they have not strengthened the broken hearted and the spiritually "diseased" among them, nor in many cases have they even spoken out against the social evils which pervade our society and are "fed" as "normal" to our people by a corrupt and immoral news, TV, and movie entertainment industry, which is a large part of the hidden dynasty of education/indoctrination controlled by Satan's own.Ezekiel 34:4
The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
The simple neglect of scholarly study and teaching God's Word line by line, which happens to be a lot of work which lazy pastors don't like, has caused our people to lose their way and even to lose their identity as the House of Israel. They have caused a double blindness whereby the Christian nations of the world all call themselves gentiles while at the same time they believe those "inhabitants of Judea", the bad figs who are neither of Israel nor of Judah, are God's chosen people. Go figure! The 10 Lost Tribes of Israel are "lost" alright and their minds are either void of substance or filled with garbage.
Do you know about the scattering of God's sheep? Do you know that the word "Saxon" means 'Saac's son, i.e. Isaac's sons? Do you know the history of how our people migrated north over the Caucasus Mountains and settled in Europe and the British Isles and then later to the Americas? Do you know the significance of why there were 13 original colonies and states? Do you know the difference between an Hebrew, an Israelite, and a Judahite (Jew)?Ezekiel 34:5
And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.[6] My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
If not, we'll put some vitamins and supplements in the feeding trough if you would like to come and get them. If you haven't read the booklets "The Abrahamic Covenant", by E. Raymond Capt, or perhaps "The Scottish Declaration of Independence", by Capt, we incourage to find and read copies of both. You can puschase copies @ www.artisanpublishers.com
Though this is written and addressed to the false shepherds of Israel by the LORD Himself as a witness unto them, it is also for our benefit and strengthening and warning, for what are the chances that false shepherd's will even read it, much less take heed? Yet they are without excuse. Woe unto them!Ezekiel 34:7
Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
Think about this in the natural sphere. If you have a flock of sheep and the shepherd ignores them and fails to put food in the trough, but instead he just takes of himself, what are the sheep going to do? They are going to wander off and end up lost in the wilderness without protection against predators. Woe to the shepherds who feed themselves and not God's people because the Lord GOD doesn't like it and He is against them (next verse).[8] As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;
Note: This warning prefaced by "As I live, saith the Lord GOD" reminds me of that "impending doom" feeling I used to get when my mother sternly called for me by my full first and last names.
Again, when the Lord GOD Almighty, Adonai Yahveh, is against you, you have got a major problem on your hands! And when He says He is going to put a stop to the false shepherds "fleecing and feasting" MO (method of operation), it shall be so! He WILL "require His flock at their hand"![9] Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;[10] Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
It seems that finding good, trustworthy, reliable shepherds has always been a big problem. There just aren't many shepherds who are, or have been, willing to do the labor required to continually prepare fine meals to feed the sheep when it is so easy and effortless to just tell them fairy tales and sing lullaby songs while shearing off their wool for fun and profit. (Of course that doesn't speak well about the mentality of the flocks who eagerly flock to be fleeced, does it?)Judgment begins at the house of the Lord.
False shepherds will be first in line,
For the sheep that they've starved,
And the sick they've not healed,
Will they answer to Him who's Divine.
Any person with an ounce of common sense and access to Sunday morning TV can easily document the ease to which sheep can be shorn. It works, big time! Of course that should come as no surprise to those who have eaten from the table of the Lord for He foretold us in Mat. 24 and Mark 13 that there would many false shepherds who would come in His name and deceive mass audiences. And so it has come to pass, exactly as He said it would! One would think that spotting these phonies should be as easy as reading an elementary school primer.
See the shepherd.
See the shepherd prance and dance.
See the sheep.
See the sheep raise their hands
in the air.
See the shepherd say, "Praise the
Lord".
See the sheep say, "Baa, Amen".
See the shepherd say, "Give $ and
you'll be blessed".
See the sheep say "Must be so".
See the shepherd say, "You are
going to fly away."
See the sheep say, "If you say
so!"
The part that is not publicly shown is the actual physical "shearing" of the sheep, where the shepherd's helpers pass little feeding baskets around for the "hungry sheep" to feed on the fish and bread... no, no, I'm wrong! What was I thinking? It was Christ's disciples, His helpers, who passed around baskets with food in them! Really though, false shepherd's are easy to recognize, for they are mostly takers not givers.
Now some may think that we are unfairly criticizing or making fun of our Christian brothers and sisters, but such is not the case. We love and pray for those who are misled by traditions of men and fed make believe stories by so called ministers of Christ. As we stated at the beginning of our last study, there is nothing more serious than willfully and deceitfully taking advantage of God's children.
Do you remember the 13th chapter of Ezekiel when God "dressed down" the false prophets of our people who claim that God speaks to them, like "God just told me someone out there has a bad lower back ache. God is healing you right now. Just call 1 800 GIVE2ME to confirm the word." God calls them "liars" because He DOESN'T speak to them like that. Here is an excerpt from God's admonishment to false prophets in Ezekiel 13:
God is against that fast food "junk" and He's against those who do serve it to His hungry, undernourished sheep.Ezekiel 13:7
Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken?
They pollute the truth of God's Word for self gain by lying to His people! The "I AM" is against them. WOE! He continues:[8]Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I AM against you, saith the Lord GOD.
"You guys (and gals), who claim to represent Me, lie to My children to make a fast buck?" WOE!Ezekiel 13:19
And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?
In the very next verse (Ezek. 13:20) God exposes their biggest fairy tale, their favorite lie of the final generation called the "Rapture Theory", where they lie to people and tell them they are going to "fly" away to save their souls. The fact is that the king of Babylon is coming and the people will not "escape". They will face his sword and be slain (spiritually) because as it is written in that same 13th chapter, their shepherds have not prepared them for the battle! WOE!
Sneaky and crafty little critters, they are!Ezekiel 13:4
O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.
Therefore, since the shepherds and the prophets have failed to feed and protect the sheep, God says He will take of it Himself! How? He will send the Chief Shepherd![5] Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.
God holds the false shepherds and lying prophets grossly negligent and largely responsible for the scattering of the House of Israel and Judah. Nevertheless, He knows exactly where they all are and He will take care of His own, "and seek them out". Has He found you?Ezekiel 34:11
For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
Our Father will send the True Shepherd to do that which the hirelings have failed to do. And as it is written, there shall be two advents. So God will seek out His sheep and lead them out of "all the places" where they have been scattered, "all" meaning physically and spiritually, nationally and individually![12] As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
It is now a record of history that the nations of Israel, called the lost tribes of the House of Israel, were gathered following their seven times (2520 year) punishment which began with their captivity by Assyria. However, even though they are physically gathered, though they know not who they are, and they have become the "head of nations" and not the "tail", as God said they would be in Deut. 28:13 (Who is the greatest superpower in the world today?), they are nevertheless spiritually scattered (confused) and held captive in spiritual bondage by the teachings of the polluted garbage, the traditions of men, perpetuated by the false shepherds of churchianity. That is going to stop!
This applies both nationally and individually as we have read throughout this fine dining Book of Ezekiel. Again, has He brought you out of the scattering, the confusion you were once in?Ezekiel 34:13
And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
Here is a song for the national blessings:[14] I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
Here is a song for the individual blessings:"Oh Beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood,
From sea to shining sea!"[15] I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
God promises that He will gather His sheep and heal their broken spirits and "strengthen" their spiritual sickness. Remember how EZEK-I-EL (whose name means "whom God strengthens") was made strong? By "feeding" on the scroll, the Word of God. And what will happen to those fat cat preachers who feed themselves instead of feeding the Word to the lost sheep? WOE BABY!Psalm 23:1-2
A Psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.[16] I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
That is what we are reading and learning about in this 34th chapter of Ezekiel. God promises to remove all the false shepherds and raise up the good Shepherd. So in total fairness to them, He tells it like it is without mincing words, because as it written, judgment begins at the house of the Lord!
This simply says that the Lord GOD, Adonai Yahveh, will judge between the sheep and the goats, i.e. the sheep and their he-goat leaders the false shepherds including the kenites among them.Ezekiel 34:17
And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.
He says to the he-goats:
The false shepherds sure take lightly their consuming all of God's pastures, don't they? Just look at them stomp and prance! You would think they could leave a little of the green fields to remain as virgin territory. But no, they screw up everything they touch and make cloudy the pure waters of truth with their filthy, slimy feet, which are made so raunchy by their following after the "bull" who roams in the fields of idolatry.[18] Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?
Don't worry, they shall be judged (the false shepherds that is, not the bulls)!
God then says concerning His flock:
Doesn't speak too well for the sheep that they would be gullible enough to eat all that smelly "toe jam" and drink all that slimy water, does it?Ezekiel 34:19
And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.
So God will judge both the sheep and the false shepherds.
[20] Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle."Therefore the Lord God says: I will judge between these fat shepherds and their scrawny sheep. For these shepherds push and butt and crowd my sick and hungry flock until they're scattered far away." (Ezek. 34:20-12, LB)
They used their power and authority (horns) to push the sheep away from the feed trough until they were scattered and confused and left to wander about the gentile nations without the protection of a true shepherd. Do you think they will escape the judgment of their deeds, which they take so lightly, with a mere slap on the wrist? Woe, woe, I don't think so![21] Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;
Nevertheless, our Father has always had a plan to save His flock. He intended from the beginning to send the TRUE SHEPHERD to save them and bring them peace and prosperity forever.
It is God who does the saving, not man! And the false shepherds (who are many) could really care less about the sheep because they are too busy feeding themselves. Jesus said in John 10:13-15:Ezekiel 34:22
Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
If the hirelings truly loved the sheep they would feed them from the Word of God.John 10:13
The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
Note: If you would like to read about the love required to feed the sheep read John chapter 21 or go to our pamphlet #1585.
[14]
I Am the good shepherd, and know
my sheep, and am known of mine.
As promised, our Father did send
the True Shepherd to save and to gather His flock.
Here is His promise of that coming Shepherd, even foretold of in the Book of Ezekiel.[15] As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
This refers to Jesus Christ, the son of David, who was a type.Ezekiel 34:23
And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
Note: All of the above underlined items are referenced here in Ezekiel 34 between verses 22 and 30. See if you can find them. If you have trouble then go practice with a "Where's Waldo" book and try again. It will be a cinch!Jeremiah 23:5
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.[6] In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Though Christ is The Prince of Peace forever and ever, it is written that David shall also be a prince (a chief ruler) among the people forever. Ezekiel 37:25 "And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.Ezekiel 34:24
And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.
Did you know that all these blessings were promised long ago to God's children if they would follow after Him?[25] And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.
Although the complete fulfillment of the everlasting peace and safety occurs at the second advent, the Americas, that beautiful wilderness settled by the pilgrims of the house of Israel and established as one nation under the True Shepherd, has enjoyed many of the blessings of God including the peace and safe dwelling. But is not because the house of Israel obeyed the Lord, it is because God unconditionally promised national wealth and blessings to the children of Abraham through Isaac.Leviticus 26:6
And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.
Again, they are blessings promised long ago by our Father to His children. They could have had them all along had they listened to Him.Ezekiel 34:26
And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.
And that rain in due season, now even the latter day rain which makes plump the fruit on the vine, is the truth of God's Word. It is documented in the Song of Moses which the overcomers will be singing (Rev. 15:3) at the return of the True Shepherd. Deut. 32:2 "My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:"Leviticus 26:4
Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
God is going to "break" the spiritual (and physical) bondage placed on His flock by the hand of the false shepherds, servants of themselves and the chief false shepherd! Remember what Ezekiel was told to say unto them in verse 2? "Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves." WOE BABY! Their punishment will be severe!Ezekiel 34:27
And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.
Although we look forward to the time of the Millennium when there shall be no more false shepherds and the influence of Satan and his children of disobedience will not be tolerated, we can partake even now of the luscious green pastures and the protection provided by the True Shepherd. Simply gather unto Him and eat from the overflowing trough which gives life everlasting. That trough is the Word of God![28] And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.
Remember Jer. 23:35 we quoted earlier in this study? This "plant of renown" is the righteous Branch, the root of Jesse, the offspring of David. He shall feed His people and there shall be no more hunger brought about by Fleecing, Feasting, Fonies who Fail to Feed the Flock.[29] And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.
The Prince of Peace, the Chief Shepherd, will return at the 7th Trump and:
And there will be no doubt at that time who that True Shepherd is!Rev. 7:16
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.[17] For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Though today they have lost their true identity and are starving for the true Word of God, they are still His children and He has not lost them. He will gather them soon after the false shepherd comes and gathers them unto him to fly them away to save their souls.Ezekiel 34:30
Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God Am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD.
We mere men (adam in Hebrew) are the children of His flock and He is our God. Do you love Him? There can no more fitting words to end this study than the words of the psalmist spoken of in this 34th chapter, even king David:[31] And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I Am your God, saith the Lord GOD.
Psalm 95:6
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.[7] For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
This "American Wisdom Series" pamphlet
is
Published by:
Rhine Publishing Co
199 Joseph Drive
Middletown, PA 17057
If you would like to have your essay
published
as part of the American Wisdom
Series
submit your manuscript to Rhine
Publishing Co
at the address above for consideration,
or e-mail us
at the address shown on our home
page.
Click Here to Return to "The American Wisdom Series" home page.