Megachurch Pastor Creflo Dollar, who owns a sprawling 7,401 sqft $2.4 mill mansion on 58.4 acres in Fayetteville, GA. Photo credit: AToast2Wealth.com

As long as there remains one homeless, one starving, one thirsty in the world, this type of excess is inexcusable for a minister of the gospel.

WOE TO THE IDOL SHEPHERD

I awoke from a dream this morning and I knew right away it was a spiritual dream. I dreamed of a minister who was standing and giving excuses why he wasn’t able to prepare a harvest. He said the seed was corrupted. I understood in the dream that there was no harvest there; the seed was indeed corrupted, but the shepherd of the flock was to blame.

Jesus said, in response to His disciples’ questions about His return,

“Except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved, but for the elect’s sake, those days shall be shortened…There shall arise false Christs and false prophets and they shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” Matthew 24:22,24.

In this day and this hour, friends, we need to measure every word the pastors speak. Take your Bibles with you to church, or Bible study, and follow along with the reading and preaching of God's Word. We need to measure what the minister says by the Word of God - every time. If we fail to do this, we are open prey for those who may have come as "wolves in sheep's clothing." 

It is important to pray as we listen to others minister, because some, actually many are falling away from the doctrine of truth today. 

We all need to ask ourselves, If the pastor begins to act suspicious, or preach what our spirits perceive is error, are we so dedicated to that man, that we will continue to support his ministry and subject ourselves to his pastoralship?

We must be dedicated to GOD, not men, friends.

Every Christian should remember the fate of those who followed Jim Jones to Jonestown. People died because they were inspired by Jim Jones, not God. We must, we must, we must, be followers of Christ, not man. If our leader even begins to fall by the wayside and he doesn’t repent and correct himself quickly, we must withdraw ourselves from them.

 


Pastor Jim Jones - Photo: fr.wikipedia.org

 


David Koresh - Photo credit: Wikipedia

The followers of David Koresh – same thing. The parishioners were following David Koresh, not the Lord God.

How is it that so many can be deceived and perish? 909 people were killed in Jonestown because of their fixation with Jim Jones. 83 died in Waco, Texas, including 28 children! Why??? They had their eyes on the man, not the Lord!

It is imperative, especially in the hour we are living, to keep our eyes on the Lord, His Holy Word and to stay in prayer daily.

Jesus said,

“Blessed are those servants whom the Master, when He comes, will find watching” Luke 12:37.

Are you watching and praying?

We need to remind ourselves of Jesus’s parable of the 10 virgins. Five of them were foolish and not prepared for the Lord’s return. By virtue of the fact that they were named among the 10 virgins, we know that they are indicative of being followers of Christ. When they knocked on the door and asked the bridegroom (Jesus) to let them in, He said,

“Verily I say unto you, I know you not” Matthew 25:12.

He didn’t say, “I never knew you,” as He did to others in Matthew 7:23. He said to the five unprepared virgins, “I know you not.” In that they were counted among the “virgins,” meaning those set apart, not married to another, or categorized as a harlot, as in Revelation 17:5, but virgins, which is a significant indicator in the scriptures. These five were named among those set apart for the bridegroom (Jesus), but they had clearly run out of oil (the Holy Ghost and fire - Luke 3:16) and they were unprepared for the Lord’s return.

If you are named among the church, the “bride of Christ,” are you ready for the Lord’s return?

Some believe Jesus will return when the world is in utter chaos, war, a shambles, but this is not what Christ said to His followers,

“Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot, they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed” Luke 17:28-30.

How can the world be in such chaos, if the Lord will come at a time when people are going about their everyday business? The Lord is clearly discussing the “catching-up” of the saints, an event before the great tribulation begins, also spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. He is not speaking of His return with the saints, who have already been raptured, because that point in time will most certainly be chaotic. This we know by reading the Book of Revelation 19 and Zechariah 14, as the prophets describe the final return of the Lord with His saints. War, death, destruction and chaos are described during that final return of the Lord with His saints.

After my dream this morning, I was brought by the Lord to this prophecy in Zechariah,

“Thus saith the Lord my God, Feed the flock of the slaughter, whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty, and they that sell them say, Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich, and their own shepherds pity them not. For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord, but lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king, and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them” Zechariah 11:4-6.

It is up to us to recognize the "idol shepherd," whose idols are profit and gain and the pride of life, not the flock of God. If we fail to keep our eyes on the Lord, we will be turned over to an evil ruler and we too will be smitten with the idol shepherds.

“And when He puts forth His own sheep, He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice, and a stranger will they not follow, but will FLEE FROM HIM, for they know not the voice of strangers” John 10:4-5.

Isn’t that precious! God's children will recognize His voice. Don't ignore it!

Even as far back as 2006, FEMA began holding community meetings with pastors. FEMA representatives asked the pastors to minister “cooperation” with the government during a crisis. They instructed the pastors to tell the members of their congregations to turn in their guns, submit to mandatory vaccinations and relocation directives. The pastors were even promised preferential treatment during a crisis, if they would cooperate with FEMA.

Pride is an initial alarm. If pastors and ministers give off a spirit of pride, instead of humility – beware.

“Woe to the idol shepherd who leaves the flock! The sword shall be upon his arm and upon his right eye; his arm shall be clean dried up and his right eye shall be utterly darkened” Zechariah 11:17.

Matthew Henry’s (Complete) Commentary on Zechariah 11 is an excellent study on this subject, which I highly recommend. Matthew Henry’s Commentary of the entire Bible is online through this link: BibleStudyTools.com.

Ezekiel 34, in like manner, is also a very important study of this topic.

Just as the Romans invaded Israel after Christ was crucified and ascended, governments in the last days will lead their brigades against false prophets and the sheep who follow them and the gates will be open for their destruction, unless they repent.

God promised to cut the time short for His elect, so they could be spared (Matthew 24:22).

“The thing that has been, is that which shall be…” Ecclesiastes 1:9.

We will continue to see idol shepherds leaving the flock to ruin in these last days, being given to pride, their belly and their pockets, rather than serving the flock of God.

Beware, children of God, for Jesus said,

“Enter in at the strait gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leads unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” Matthew 7:13-15.

Are your eyes fixed on the Lord and His teachings outlined in the Holy Word of God, or are your eyes fixed on a shepherd, possibly a shepherd who is misleading the flock? This is a question we all have to ask ourselves at all times.

If we stay in prayer and the reading of God’s Word daily, we will not go astray; even if the shepherd falls, we will stay standing with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the last day.

Are you prepared to stand before God and give an account of the life you have lived on this earth? If not, please visit the How Can I Be Saved page of this website. Your eternal destiny depends on it. God bless you.