FEEDING THE FLOCK OF SLAUGHTER
Zechariah 11:4 Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter; 5 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. 6 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 neighbour’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. 7 And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock. 8 Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me. 9 Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another. 10 And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people. 11 And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD. 14 Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
This seems to be a very confusing command given by the Lord to the Prophet Zechariah. He is to feed a flock, so assured of judgment that it is called, the flock of slaughter! But this is the same condition in which today’s true gospel ministers preach! For how many have sinned by coming short of God’s glory? All of us have! (Romans 3:23, 5:12). And what are the wages of sin? The payment for our sinful state is death! Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore the entirety of the human race is under the verdict of death! We are all in the flock of slaughter!
We are all born naturally in spiritual death. We must then be born again to come into the realm of spiritual life, in which we shall never die spiritually, or eternally! Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
The first resurrection is regeneration! It alone renders one blessed and holy! The physical resurrection at the end of the age shall never make one soul holy! If one went into the grave unholy, he will be resurrected so, and remain so throughout eternity!
John 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. Revelation 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. – Time is hurriedly running out! If you are concerned about your eternal condition, you’d better attend to it quickly!
No one gets out of this world without dying! And without the imputed, spiritual life of Christ, physical death will bring on eternal death, which is termed, the second death! Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
The elect remnant of God are included within the number of those labeled, the flock of slaughter! Romans 11:5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. These elect too are dead in trespasses and sins; (Eph. 2:1).
Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
For there is no difference in an unregenerate elect and a lost vessel of wrath, fitted unto destruction, except for God’s purposes! Both are equally spiritually dead! Therefore we are to preach the gospel to every creature! For there is no bright, capital “E” on the foreheads of the elect! The entire flock of slaughter must have the gospel preached to them to lay out God’s divine mandate that Jesus Christ is Lord over all! Therefore all need to be instructed to repent, or likewise perish!
2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. 15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
The antichrists sat on the same pews with the elect of God to hear the same gospel! That’s how they are developed into antichrists! One cannot apostatize from that which he never professed! 1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. For there is only one weapon the Lord uses to fill both heaven and hell! That is, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God! (Eph. 6:17). It is seen to be, typically, in the mouth of the image of the Lord in his Revelation! (Rev. 1:16, 19:15). For the word from his mouth is that sword of the Spirit!
We find in Hebrews 4:2 that which made the difference between the vessels of mercy and the vessels of wrath. That verse instructs us as follows: For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. The gift of faith was not added to the one, even as both heard the same gospel!
Therefore we learn that even though the vessels of wrath may have gained some degree of morality exacted upon them, their nature was never changed! Listen as the Apostle Peter instructs us in this. 2 Peter 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. Here he informs us that it was by the attained “knowledge of the Lord,” that is, by a mental hearing of the gospel, that they came to escape the pollutions and immoralities of the world!
But now he informs us as to the result of such a hearing without the faithful, new nature of the true believer. For since to them, it was only a rational matter, their powerful lusts, demanding to be satisfied, caused them to begin to rationalize against it. 2 Peter 2:21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
Luke 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Luke 17:32 Remember Lot’s wife.
And finally, without the bringing in of a new nature, they reveal themselves only to have been wolves in sheep’s clothing all along! For they are dogs and sows, and not sheep! 2 Peter 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Therefore they act out the part of the nature of dogs and sows. They are no longer simply an unregenerate soul like they were before the hearing of the gospel, however. For Peter has stated above, It had been better for them not to have known! And the Apostle Paul confirms that it is impossible for those once enlightened to be renewed unto repentance again! (Heb. 6:4-6).
The Harlot church has become so sappy and inordinate in what “gospel” she presents, having her purpose to allure men to herself, that the masses only think of God’s gospel in terms of “making a decision concerning a religious offer!” But God’s true gospel is a divine mandate! It is a command from the new King of the World for all his subjects to bow and worship him! His is the fifth and final kingdom which came in during the Roman kingdom, which was the fourth world power. (Daniel 7:7-14). And his name is above every name in this present world, and shall remain so in the world to come!
Philippians 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
And did you carefully notice that last phrase? It is all, NOT primarily for the salvation of souls, (which is included), but for the primary purpose of the glory of God!
John 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Here in the purest and most holy of all prayer and communion between heaven and earth; in the most holy communication within the Trinity after attaining it’s Incarnation, we have the true, unmistakable purposes of God laid out in the order of their importance concerning the cross!
First in order, the cross is to glorify God! Read verse one carefully! That is also why God raised Christ from the dead! 1 Peter 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
Then in verse two we read that the second purpose of the cross was to grant Jesus Christ absolute sovereignty over all flesh! Nebuchadnezzar in the first world kingdom had it to a degree! And so did Darius, the Mede, Alexander the Great, with the Greek empire, and then Caesar in the Roman empire! But these were only sinful humans that God raise up to prepare the world for the fifth and final kingdom of his dear Son. For what was that which the Apostle Peter preached in the very first Christian message on Pentecost? Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
And then the third and final thing which the Humanity spoke of with the Invisibility in this prayer was the salvation of those whom the Father had given him! But due to the Whore’s spirit, we have this order reversed! We put man’s salvation far above the glory of God! In that same selfish spirit, we insist that God “take us all to heaven” for our family reunion! We religionists care nothing for the Lord’s glory! That is never even a consideration in our services. It doesn’t even get honorable mention among us!
But listen to these verses: 1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. We are not to take a morsel of food, nor a drop of water into our mouths primarily to satisfy the flesh! We are to do both for God’s glory alone!
Isaiah 60:21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. We are to rejoice in the salvation of a sinner, not to add them to the rolls of our membership! For God saved them for his own glory!
2 Thess. 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not only the salvation of the sinner, but even his growth in sanctification is for God’s glory!
Dear friend, this is where we lost it! – at the falling short of God’s glory! Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
And that is where we must return! But none can help us except the One sent from glory! For he alone is holy, harmless, and separate from sinners! John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. May God have mercy!
Pastor Gene Breed
May 12, 2011
