Luke

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“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
— Luke 21:25-28

Romans

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What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
— Romans 6:1-4

2 Peter

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This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”
— 2 Peter 3:1-4

The Word

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Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 4:4-7

Shepherds

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The Responsibility of Spiritual Shepherds

Ezekiel 34

Ezekiel was a priest in Jerusalem before being deported to Babylon in 597 B.C. In Babylon he became a prophet-priest, and his message was often focused on Judah’s leaders—God would hold them accountable for their failures in leading the nation.

It was not uncommon in the ancient Near East for leaders to be called shepherds. God chose an actual shepherd boy named David to become the shepherd-king of His people (1 Samuel 16:1-13): “So [David] shepherded [Israel] according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands” (Psalm 78:70-72). Successive kings and priests of both Israel and Judah did not shepherd God’s people with a heart like David’s. When Jeremiah prophesied about the coming destruction of Jerusalem, he issued a scathing warning against the shepherds of Judah: God would scatter the shepherds just as they had scattered God’s people (Jeremiah 23:1-4).

From Babylon, Ezekiel delivered the Old Testament’s longest oracle against the irresponsible shepherds of Judah (Ezekiel 34). He made the point that God is the ultimate Shepherd who would gather the sheep that had been scattered by their carnal, self-serving shepherds. Ezekiel summed up the shepherds’ failure this way: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?” (Ezekiel 34:2). He goes on to point out all the ways Israel’s shepherds had taken care of themselves instead of taking care of God’s people.

David used God as the best example of a shepherd who serves by leading and feeding the sheep (Psalm 23), and Jesus demonstrated the same shepherd’s heart when He lived and served as the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18; also Mark 10:45). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned against shepherds who were wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15), and Paul warned the elders in Ephesus about the same possibility (Acts 20:29-31). The condition of the flock is a good indication of the condition of the shepherd’s heart.

Dr. David Jeremiah