The Lawless Shepherd

Key verses: ZECHARIAH 11:15-17

SOME OLD TESTAMENT REFERENCES TO THE ANTICHRIST

GENESIS 3:15             THE SEED OF THE SERPENT

ISAIAH 10:5-12           THE ASSYRIAN

ISAIAH 14:2                 THE KING OF BABYLON

DANIEL 7:8,21            THE LITTLE HORN

DANIEL 8:23               THE KING OF FIERCE COUNTENANCE

DANIEL 9:26               THE PRINCE THAT SHALL COME

DANIEL 11:12               THE VILE PERSON

EZEKIEL 21:25-27      THE PROFANE WICKED PRINCE OF ISRAEL

EZEKIEL 28:12            THE KING OF TYRE

ZECHARIAH 11:15-17 THE IDOL SHEPHERD

SOME NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES TO THE ANTICHRIST

JOHN 5:43                         ANOTHER COMING IN HIS OWN NAME

2 THESSALONIANS 2:3  THE MAN OF SIN

2 THESSALONIANS 2:3 THE SON OF PERDITION

2 THESSALONIANS 2:8 THE LAWLESS ONE

1 JOHN 2:18                       THE ANTICHRIST

REVELATION 9:11           ANGEL OF THE BOTTOMLESS PIT (ABADDON)

REVELATION 13:1           THE BEAST

JOHN 5:43 “I HAVE COME IN MY FATHER’S NAME AND YOU DO NOT RECEIVE ME. IF ANOTHER SHALL COME IN HIS OWN NAME, HIM YOU WILL RECEIVE.”

HERE JESUS APPEARS TO BE ECHOING THE THOUGHT OF ZECHARIAH CHAPTER 11 – ISRAEL WILL REJECT THE TRUE SHEPHERD AND ACCEPT THE FALSE.

THIS ALSO PARALLELS DANIEL CHAPTER 9 verse 26 – SCRIPTURE STATES THE MESSIAH COMES BEFORE THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE AND THE COMING OF THE LAWLESS ONE.

SHA’UL (PAUL) THE APOSTLE ALSO TEACHES THAT THE LAWLESS ONE WILL BE REVEALED AFTER THE FALLING AWAY. 2 THESS 2:3.

3 POINTS REGARDING THE FOOLISH SHEPHERD

1) ZECHARIAH 11:15 THE CHARACTER OF THE FOOLISH SHEPHERD –

WORD “FOOLISH” IS A SYNONYM FOR “WICKEDNESS”
PROVERBS 5:21-23 THE WAYS OF MAN ARE BEFORE THE EYES OF THE LORD, AND HE PONDERS ALL HIS PATHS. HIS OWN INIQUITIES ENTRAP THE WICKED MAN, AND HE IS CAUGHT IN THE CORDS OF HIS SIN. HE SHALL DIE FOR LACK OF INSTRUCTION, AND IN THE GREATNESS OF HIS FOLLY HE SHALL GO ASTRAY.
PSALM 14:1

2) ZECHARIAH 11:16 THE WORK OF THE IDOL SHEPHERD – (5 POINTS – COUNTER GRACE)

a) HE WILL NOT CARE FOR THOSE THAT ARE CUT OFF
b) HE WILL NOT SEEK THE YOUNG
c) HE WILL NOT HEAL THOSE THAT ARE BROKEN
d) HE WILL NOT FEED THOSE WHICH STAND STILL
e) HE EATS THE FLESH OF THE FAT AND TEAR THEIR HOOVES INTO PIECES.

….VERSUS YESHUA THE GOOD SHEPHERD

a) WE ARE TO CAST ALL OUR CARES UPON HIM – HE CARES FOR US (1 PETER 5:7)
b) FOR THE SON OF MAN CAME TO SEEK AND TO SAVE THAT WHICH
WAS LOST (LUKE 19:10)
c) THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON HIM, TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO
THE POOR; TO HEAL THE BROKENHEARTED (LUKE 4:18)
d) YESHUA FEEDS THE MULTITUDES – THE FIVE AND FOUR THOUSAND (MATTHEW 14:19-20)
e) AND THE BREAD THAT HE GIVES IS HIS FLESH, WHICH HE GIVES
FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD (JOHN 6:51)

3) ZECHARIAH 11:17 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE IDOL SHEPHERD

WOE – A CURSE AS HE ABANDONS THE FLOCK

• STRENGTH SIGNIFIED BY ARM,
• WISDOM AND SOUND JUDGMENT BY EYE (MATTHEW 6)

GOD WILL TAKE AWAY BOTH HIS STRENGTH AND JUDGMENT, BUT FOR A TIME, TIMES AND HALF A TIME HE WILL BE ALLOWED DOMINION:

6 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MAN OF SIN

HUMANITY – HE HAD EYES LIKE THE EYES OF A MAN (DANIEL 7:8).

GREAT WORDS – HE WILL HAVE A MOUTH SPEAKING POMPOUS WORDS (DANIEL 7:8).

MASTER POLITICIAN – HE WILL COME RIDING WITH A BOW, NO ARROWS, AND HE’LL CONQUER THE WORLD. HE WILL COME IN PEACEABLY AND OBTAIN THE KINGDOM BY FLATTERIES (DANIEL 11:21, REVELATION 6: 2).

MASTER OF COMMERCE – HE WILL HAVE HIS HANDS ON WORLD ECONOMICS AND COMMERCE. (DANIEL 8:25, REVELATION 17 & 18).

MILITARY GENIUS – HE WILL BE A MILITARY MAN WITHOUT EQUAL (DANIEL 7:23, REVELATION 13:4).

A RELIGIOUS LEADER – HE WILL BE A RELIGIOUS LEADER (ZECHARIAH 11:15-17, 2 THESSALONIANS 2:4).

– RELIGION OF THE SELF! (GENESIS 3:5)

BUT WHAT DO WE NEED TO TAKE FROM THESE PASSAGES?

MATTHEW 23:34-24:13 – CONTEXT 8 WOES, WITH 5 BLINDNESSES
(BLIND TO GRACE)

1) REALITY

WE LIVE IN A WORLD TODAY CHARACTERISED BY INIQUITY – SPECIFICALLY IN RELATION TO GOD’S LAW

WHAT WE ARE SEEING ABOUT US IS NOT JUST AN ATTITUDE OF LAWLESSNESS BUT A DELIBERATE ATTACK THROUGH REBELLION AGAINST GOD HIMSELF.

– WHAT IS WE ARE SEEING IS A SOCIAL LEGALISATION OF LAWLESSNESS

• GOOD IS CALLED EVIL AND EVIL GOOD – ISAIAH 5:2

CONSEQUENTLY, EVIL DOERS NO LONGER PUNISHED BUT THE GODLY ARE PERSECUTED.

LAWLESSNESS IS A SIGN OF OUR LORD’S SOON RETURN!

2) LAWLESSNESS IS A DANGER TO THE CHURCH

‘LOVE OF MANY WILL GROW COLD’ (MATTHEW 24:12)
– JESUS IS WARNING OF LAWLESSNESS AGAINST GOD IN THE CHURCH.

ORDER:
• FALSE TEACHES WILL COME
• INIQUITY WILL ABOUND
• THEN THE LOVE OF MANY WILL GROW COLD

ISRAELITES CONTANTLY REQUIRED TO MAKE DISTINCTIONS…
GOOD/ BAD… RIGHT/WRONG       AND THAT’S WHAT WE MUST DO.

3) REPONSE

WE NEED TO GUARD OUR LIVES:

• HUMOUR

• LANGUAGE

• PEOPLE WE ASSOCIATE WITH, THE TEACHINGS WE LISTEN TO ETC!

HAS YOUR LOVE FOR GOD BEGUN TO WAX COLD?

WE NEED TO CONSTANTLY TRAIN OUR MINDS TOWARDS MESSIAH (CHRIST).
WE NEED TO BE DAILY BRINGING OUR LIVES BEFORE THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

WE HAVE TO BE EVER MORE DEPENDING ON HIM. (COLOSSIANS 2:7-9)

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