Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 8:7
8:7 The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
The condemnation of the first trumpet was hail and fire, mingled with blood.
The hail means the crisis of love.
The fire means the increasing lawlessness.
So, there was the bloodshed of innocent people.
As a result, a third of the earth was burned up. A third of the trees and all green grass were burned up.
The green grass refers to the shepherding.
Because of the crisis of love, there is lawlessness in the shepherding pen.
Jeremiah 2:8
2:8 The priests did not say, 'Where is the Lord ?' And those who handle the law did not know Me; The rulers also transgressed against Me; The prophets prophesied by Baal, And walked after things that do not profit.
There are two kinds of lawlessness in the shepherding as follows:
God blesses us.
Revelation 8:7
8:7 The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
The condemnation of the first trumpet was hail and fire, mingled with blood.
The hail means the crisis of love.
The fire means the increasing lawlessness.
So, there was the bloodshed of innocent people.
As a result, a third of the earth was burned up. A third of the trees and all green grass were burned up.
The green grass refers to the shepherding.
Because of the crisis of love, there is lawlessness in the shepherding pen.
Jeremiah 2:8
2:8 The priests did not say, 'Where is the Lord ?' And those who handle the law did not know Me; The rulers also transgressed against Me; The prophets prophesied by Baal, And walked after things that do not profit.
There are two kinds of lawlessness in the shepherding as follows:
- The lawlessness of a shepherd.
Zechariah 11:4-5
11:4 Thus says the Lord my God, "Feed the flock for slaughter,
11:5 whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt; those who sell them say, 'Blessed be the Lord , for Iam rich'; and their shepherds do not pity them.
The fact found in it is herding the sheep without love, but through buying and selling system. It means that he looks for physical benefit / profit through sacrificing the sheep.
Mark 11:15,17
11:15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.
11:17 Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations' ? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'
The signs are as follows:- The tables in the house of God were filled with money, not bread anymore. It means that a shepherd does not want to feed the sheep with the shepherding Word. The Word is preached by someone else / different people. Why does it happen? Because his heart is not pure (filled with evil, uncleanness, hatred) so there is no revelation of the Word. Indeed, he is not a shepherd.
- The house of prayer became a den of thieves. It means that there is neither intercession prayer from the shepherd nor protection to the sheep. The sheep will be pounced by wolves, or even worse eaten by their own shepherd. The pastor only takes the physical thing regardless of the salvation of the church.
- The tables in the house of God were filled with money, not bread anymore. It means that a shepherd does not want to feed the sheep with the shepherding Word. The Word is preached by someone else / different people. Why does it happen? Because his heart is not pure (filled with evil, uncleanness, hatred) so there is no revelation of the Word. Indeed, he is not a shepherd.
- The lawlessness of the sheep.
The fact found in it is rejecting the shepherding Word and not obeying the shepherd's voice.
Why does it happen?- They harden the hearts and keep the sins (evil, uncleanness, and hatred).
- They hear foreign voices that are not in line with the shepherding Word and gossips which are not true.
Zechariah 11:7
11:7 So I fed the flock for slaughter, in particular the poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs: the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bonds; and I fed the flock.
The true and good shepherd shepherds the flock with the shepherding Word. It becomes food for the sheep and helps them grow spiritually.
The shepherding Word is also the staff of a shepherd to guide the flock. - They harden the hearts and keep the sins (evil, uncleanness, and hatred).
- The shepherd's staff guides us to the shepherding pen or the Holy Place. It means the perseverance in three kinds of main services to God.
Ezekiel 20:37
20:37 "I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;
Being in the shepherding pen, we will be counted by God, even a strand of our hair is counted.
The true shepherd pays attention to, cares, and struggles for us. He stretches His loving hands to make us full and preserve us. He protects us so that we cannot be pounced by wolves. - The staff of Bonds guides us to enter the building of the perfect body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:15-16
4:15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-Christ-
4:16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Even though our life is only like a strand of hair, if we live in holiness, faithfulness, and perseverance, we will be used in the ministry of building the perfect body of Christ. It begins from serving the marriage, shepherding inter-shepherding, until the edifying the perfect body of Christ. - The staff of gold guides us to the New Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:15
21:15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.
There are God's attention and mercy to renew us from fleshly man to spiritual one like Jesus.
We are renewed to be strong and of good courage. We are not disappointed and hopeless. We do not give up in whatever we are facing, but hold fast to the true teaching Word. We worship God and rely on His mercy. It is the same as only paying attention to and caring for God. So, God will also pay attention to and care for us.
The condition of Ester was like a strand of hair when the Jews would be killed, but she remained strong and of good courage. So, she kept alive. It means that there is successful and beautiful future.
It continues until we enter the last shepherding pen in the New Jerusalem.
God blesses us.