Good And Bad Shepherds, Part 2 ~ Kay Arthur

Jeremiah, Part 1 (Return To Me)

Program 42 – Good And Bad Shepherds, Part 2

Do you realize that every ruler, every leader of a people of a country is someday going to stand before God Almighty? If they don’t know Jesus Christ, they’re going to stand at the Great White Throne Judgment of God. And do you know what God’s going to do? He’s going to judge them according to their deeds and that will determine the punishment and the greatness of the punishment in the lake of fire. (See Revelation 20:11-14) We’ll talk about it today.

As we saw last week in our study of Jeremiah, God is a God of justice. And He’s looking for those that rule people to rule in justice and to rule in righteousness. Now you and I know from history, we know from Hitler, and we know from Stalin, and we know from the rulers of China and other places that there are men that are despots. That they are cruel, cruel leaders of their people, that they do not really care about the welfare of their people, they just have their own agenda.

And what you and I need to understand this week as we listen to God’s Word when He pronounces woe on the shepherds, on the rulers of His people Israel, and when He speaks to the prophets that are prophesying dreams and oracles that are not from God, we need to know that God is going to hold those people accountable.

Remember yesterday in the program I took you from the days of Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah, the last five kings of the Southern Kingdom and the destruction of Jerusalem, which has not yet happened in Jeremiah, but which will be recorded for us in Jeremiah 52, which happens in 586 B.C. Then I had you draw a line. I had you draw a time table. And if you’ve already gotten our chart on Jeremiah then, if you’ve downloaded that by going to “preceptsforlife.com” you saw the first coming of Jesus Christ. Then you saw the second coming of Jesus Christ, and then you saw a thousand year reign.

Well at the end of that thousand year reign there is going to be a Great White Throne Judgment. And it’s recorded for you in Revelation chapter 20 in verse 11 to the end of the chapter. (See Revelation 20:11-15)

In that Great White Throne Judgment then all the dead are going to stand before God. The great, the shepherds, the rulers, the great and the small, it matters not. And they’re going to stand before God. They are going to be brought out of hell, which is a holding place. And the books are going to be opened, and they’re going to be judged according to the deeds that are recorded in those books. And then they are going to be cast into the lake of fire.

Let me read it to you just so that you have it before you and you have it in mind. Because what we’re going to see this week about rulers and about those that are spokesmen for God is very, very critical. In Revelation 20 it says “And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life….” (Revelation 20:12) Their names are not in that book of life.

Their names have been erased from that book of life. They were among the living, but they never believed in Jesus Christ. And there’s only one way to God. [There is salvation in no other for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby you and I must be saved.] (PARAPHRASE, Acts 4:12) There’s only one name.

There’s only one way to God, and “Jesus said... “I am the way, [I am] the truth, and [I am] the life [and] no [man, no man] comes to the Father [except by] Me.” (John 14:6)

And you say, “Kay, you sound very narrow-minded.” I’m quoting to you Scripture, and I’m saying to you that God is very narrow-minded. [Narrow is the way and small is the gate and few there are who enter into eternal life.] (PARAPHRASE, Matthew 7:14)

You only get it by going that narrow way, and that narrow way is the way of Jesus Christ. So I’m telling you these things because I love you. I’m telling you these things because it’s what the whole counsel of God teaches.

So then he says, “…The dead were judged from the things which were written in the books…,” (Revelation 20:12) all these books that God has kept on every human being. “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades….” (Revelation 20;13) I said “hell,” but I should have said Hades. “…Gave up the dead which were in them….” (Revelation 20:13) And that is the holding place of the dead.

You can read about it in Luke 16. (See Luke 16:19-31) It’s not a pleasant place. And it says “…And they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:13-14)

They were born dead in their trespasses and sins, and now they are going down into the lake of fire. And as they go into the lake of fire, it is a place that is eternal. If you studied Isaiah with us, go read the last verses of Isaiah 66 and it will tell you. [It’s where the worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.] (PARAPHRASE Isaiah 66:24)

It is forever and ever and ever just like eternal life. And it says “And if anyone‟s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15)

So you can know this is where many kings, many rulers, many heads of countries, dictators and despots, Hitler and many, many others are going to be put in this lake of fire. Now they’re in Hades, but then at the Great White Throne Judgment they’re going to be cast into the lake of fire. This is the destiny. Now why?

Because God is just, because God is righteous, and because sin cannot go unpunished. These people refuse to believe in Jesus Christ. They’ve refused to come to Him and say, “I am a sinner. I need a Savior.” And because they refuse to do that; they may profess Christ, but their lifestyle showed that they did not know Him.

And many, many people when they’re running for office, when they’re running for the presidency of the United States knowing that the majority of this country and this nation are people that have a fear of God. Now the, the numbers are dwindling. But knowing that we were founded on Christian principles they like to say “I am a Christian.” But does their testimony bear out the fact that they are a Christian?

So God is speaking to shepherds. Let’s go back to Jeremiah chapter 23. All of this is introduction. All right now, He says “„Woe to the shepherds who are destroying…the sheep of My pasture!‟ [says] the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people….” (Jeremiah 23:1-2)

Now the word “tending My people” is literally, “who are shepherding My people.” “„…You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds….‟” (Jeremiah 23:2)

And so what you see is you see the justice of God. “You didn’t handle My people correctly.” Now He’s talking to Israel. When I’m talking about rulers, I’m talking about the fact that all rulers are accountable to God because He is the God who created the heavens and the earth. (See Genesis 1:1) He is the God who created the nations. He is the God that separated them and appointed their boundaries as Acts tells us. (See Acts 17:26) He is God. He’s the sovereign Ruler of all the universe.

All right now, we saw that Israel was a people that were shepherds. We saw that Jacob, who was the father of Israel, of the twelve tribes of Israel called God his Shepherd. (Genesis 49:25)

Now I want you to go, and this is important. I’m setting you up in 2 Samuel chapter 5, in verse 1 and 2, Saul is dead. Ish-bosheth, his one son that was alive died. And it says, “Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, „Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. Previously, when Saul was king over us, [and] you were the one who led Israel out and in. and the LORD said to you, “You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be…ruler over Israel.”‟” (2 Samuel 5:1-2)

What I want you to see again is this, that a shepherd is the ruler of the people. The shepherd is the ruler of the people. So when God is talking to the shepherds in Jeremiah chapter 23 He’s talking to these rulers. Remember in Jeremiah chapter 22, we saw a reference to Shallum. (See Jeremiah 22:11) We saw a reference to Jehoiakim who was also called Eliakim. (See Jeremiah 22:18) We saw a reference to Jehoiachin who was Coniah. (See Jeremiah 22:24) These are the shepherds.

And what I want us to see is I want us to take the history of Israel, and I want us to take the current times, and I want us to marry them together and see what lessons you and I are to learn.

Welcome back, Beloved. I love teaching you the Word of God. I love having you get the big, big picture and put it all together. And this week we are looking at shepherds, rulers and we are looking at prophets. In the end of the week we’ll look at good figs, and we’ll look at bad figs. But we’re gonna let the figs go until we get these shepherds and these rulers situated.

So this is what I want us to do. We’ve been looking at shepherds. I left you at 2 Samuel chapter 5. Now I want you to go to Isaiah chapter 44, because once again I’m establishing to you that rulers are shepherds. And I’m doing that so that you can understand that whoever rules over the United States of America can make or break America because of the high position of authority that they hold. Now the Congress and the Senate are to hold them accountable. But if you and I are not electing officials that fear God we’re in trouble. But you better fear God. The people are very important that live under a ruler. And it is people that many times can overturn a ruler.

We work in Romania. We work in Russia. We work in 150 countries and in 70 languages. We have these Precept Bible studies being taught all over the world. But the heads of our Eurasian Ministry are dear, dear friends of mine. And we were ministering before the curtain ever came down. And I remember the wife saying to me, “Kay, we’ll never have an uprising because the secret police have so infiltrated our lives there’s no capability of coming together.”

And yet when God was ready through a Hungarian pastor He brought about an uprising that was not planned, but the people took to the streets. The people decided that they were going to stand around the church. The people decided that this was something that was worth dying for and a dynasty tumbled. And what you have is the death of Ceausescu and the freedom of Romania. You and I need to know that these are critical days.

Now God is prophesying. He is telling way back in the days of Isaiah. This is before Jeremiah. About 150 years before it happens, God is talking about a man that will be born whose name is Cyrus and this is what He says. “„It is I who says of Cyrus, “He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.” And he declares of Jerusalem, “She will be built,” and of the temple, “Your foundation will be laid.”‟” (Isaiah 44:28)

The book of Ezra fits right in here. The end of Kings fits right in here. The end of Chronicles fits right in here. And so here He’s showing here’s the head of the Medo-Persian Empire, and God is saying, “He’s My shepherd. He will perform My will.”

All right, so now from there I want us to go to Jeremiah. Remember we saw Jeremiah chapter 2, verse 8, “„„[Your] rulers [have] transgressed against Me….”‟” (Jeremiah 2:8) Let’s go back and look, look at it, Jeremiah chapter 2, verse 8. And He says, “„“…The rulers [have] transgressed against Me….”‟” (Jeremiah 2:8) Why?

Because God holds every ruler accountable. The ultimate Shepherd is God Almighty as we have seen. And when it says rulers it’s really the word “shepherds”.

Now go to Jeremiah chapter 3, and let’s look at verse 15. He’s telling about a time that He is going to give them shepherds. Now watch what He says, “„Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you [with] knowledge and understanding.‟” (Jeremiah 3:15)

Unfortunately the leadership of the United States of America is in conflict with the precepts and the Word of God because they are endorsing things and behaviors that are directly opposed to the Word of God. When they want to make marriage something more than between a man and a woman, they’re going against the first thing that God instituted when He created man and woman and that was marriage. For this cause “…shall a man leave his father and…mother, and…cleave [to] his wife….” (Genesis 2:24) And his “…wife‟s name [was] Eve, because she was the mother of all…living.” (Genesis 3:20) Two men cannot conceive a baby. Two women cannot conceive a baby. When we go against the sanctity of life then our rulers that are saying that this is what we are to do, they are in direct opposition to God.

So He’s saying here, “„[I’m going to] give you shepherds after My own heart, [which] will feed you on knowledge and understanding. [And] it [will] be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land…they will no longer say, “The ark of the covenant….” And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again.

At that time they will call Jerusalem “The Throne of the LORD,” and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the LORD; nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart.‟” (Jeremiah 3:15-17)

Now what is He pointing to? He’s pointing to this time. He’s pointing to the millennium, the event that happens just a thousand years before the Great White Throne Judgment, before the new heaven and the new earth. This is what He’s talking about.

So from there in Jeremiah we go to Jeremiah chapter 6. And in Jeremiah chapter 6, in verses 1 to 3, He’s talking about what’s going to happen to Zion, and how, “Shepherds and their flocks will come to her [and] they will pitch their tents around her….” (Jeremiah 6:3)

Now when He’s talking about the shepherds coming to Jerusalem and pitching their tents around her, He’s talking about the days of first of all, He’s talking about the days of Jehoiakim when there is a siege and it’s the days of Jehoiakim to Jehoiachin. And then He’s talking about the days of Zedekiah. But also it’s a picture of the last days before Jesus Christ comes when all the nations are gathered to, together against Jerusalem. Zechariah 14 talks about it. (See Zechariah 14:2) Do you see the importance of the big picture? Do you see the importance of rulers? Do you see the importance of prophets? This is what the prophet is telling us. This is what we need to know.

And this is the foundation that I’m laying for you, Precious One, in the Word of God. Why am I telling you all this? I’m telling you this as the people wake up. Get knowledge. Get understanding. You and I could be in the last of the last days, and we need to be ready, as Jesus said. When He was here in His first coming He said “Be ready! Be ready! Be ready!” (See Luke 12:40)