Scriptural Vignette Cameo Study #41 - Sheep without a Shepherd... — and worse...!

The Greatest tragedy is not that God’s people today are a sheep without a Shepherd — but that the majority of those who think that they are Christ’s sheep are actually “anti-Shepherd”, while at the same time, abominably following, obeying, and celebrating various leaders of the wolf pack!  The majority of “Christians” today are deluded humanists with a very mild Jesus fetish (whose notion of Jesus is actually the false “media image” believed to have been Gandhi*), who are actually more like Hindus, who imagine that God has to be they way they envision Him in their minds, who lean unto their own understanding and expect God to conform to them.  They know not God.  Imagine a man walking a dog on his leash... now imagine that the parasite on the flea on the dog on the leash thinks that it determines how, when, where, and how frequently the master should walk his dog!  THAT is what most “Christians” are like today.  Your Lord is your Master — the one you unquestioningly obey.  Sheep are supposed to obey the Shepherd.  Children are supposed to obey their parents.  Christians are supposed to obey Jesus — but in reality, the way that most “Christians” function, Jesus is merely “along for the ride” (if He keeps His Mouth shut and sits with hands folded and silent in the back seat) on their sinful jaunt through life.  They think Jesus is “pleased” if ever they turn the radio, briefly, to a Christian song or sermon, until they are in the mood for something else.  

[* Gandhi was actually a terrorist, as was Mandela, but realized that his enemy (Britain) was too great, and so he decided that deceit (and feigning peace) was a better weapon than violence (though he only turned from violence because it was not working — not because it was immoral or unpeaceful).  However, the majority of the world thinks Gandhi was a saint that walked on water and a man of peace.  Contrary to false Bible teaching, God does not merely hate the sin but love the sinner — it is not the “sin” that God is angry with, but the sinner (Psalm 7:11) and it is not the “sin” that shall cast into Hell, but the wicked who does the sin.  God is not the one confused.  God does not love whom He hates and does not damn whom He loves!  God hates the wicked.  Leviticus 26:30; Psalm 10:3; 11:5; 53:5c; Proverbs 6:16-19; Hosea 9:15.  He gave them a wicked nature that is incapable of not doing wicked.  This does not mean that each wicked individual practices the zenith of his own wickedness every single day (though that is becoming more and more a reality in this wickedest of ages in which we now live).  God created the wicked for Judgment / Wrath (Proverbs 16:4); and created the vessels of wrath for destruction (Romans 9:18-22).  Like moths drawn to the flame, their nature drives them on to commit deeds worthy of the Judgment that God has ordained for them.
That “God only hates the sin but loves the sinner” is not Bible doctrine; it was popularized by the Hindu Gandhi...! who may have plagiarized the unbiblical notion, from — shamefully — the Reformed theologian, minister, hymnist, and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland, the Scotsman Horatius Bonar, in his otherwise classic book, The Everlasting Righteousness (1873).  Those who say, “Well, that was the God of the Old Testament” do not know God.  God is Immutable!  He changes not (Psalm 15:4; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17).  Neither does Jesus (Hebrews 13:8); and Jesus said, “I and My Father are One” (John 10:30) and “I am in the Father, and the Father in Me” (John 14:11) and “If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also.... he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father” (John 14:6,9).  Jesus is fully God and fully man — even if sinful, tiny-minded “Christians” cannot comprehend how God can be both 3 and 1; even as I wrote 36 years ago, “God’s ability to be is not limited by man’s inability to understand God’s Being or ability to be”.  NO man can understand God even in the slightest, without God’s Self-Revelation in Holy Writ; and yet, most “Christians” refuse to believe His Own Word in the matter and instead cling to the fairy-tale false doctrine invented in their own minds or by their corrupt denomination of the Apostate Church.  Jesus was Creator (as were God the Father and the Holy Spirit) and Redeemer — and coming Judge.  Jesus is not merely “meek and mild” as caricatured by those of the Apostate Church who have tried to declaw and neuter Him of all manliness and blaspheme the Word of God by sterilizing it of truth!  Jesus said that on the Day of Judgement He will declare to His holy angels: “But those Mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before Me” (Luke 19:27) and “7...the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8In Flaming Fire taking Vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Christ Jesus: 9Who shall be punished with Everlasting Destruction from the Presence of the Lord, and from the Glory of His Power” (I Thessalonians).  Yes, the first time He came unto His own as a Lamb — the second as a Fiery Lion to destroy the wicked.  This is why Scripture also admonishes: “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His Wrath is kindled but a little.  Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.” (Psalm 2:12)
Those who do not know God do not know His Attributes.  Those who want to know God need to learn His Attributes — for all false doctrine is derived from a corrupt understanding of God’s Nature — God imagined through sinful human eyes.  Theology has it’s origin, destiny, focus upon and revolves around God for His Own Glory.  That is why it is not called humanolgy.  Anything that detracts from God’s Supremacy, Sovereignty, and Absolute Determinism is humanism.  Humanism is a euphemism for Satanism, since it is Satan who tempts man to think such thoughts that diminish God and elevate man.  See:
- The Attributes of God (1930) Arthur W. Pink, “Critical Edition” with detailed Preface, Biography, and Annotations by R.A.B. doubling the page count, 199pp., pb., 17.50 + P&H.
- Does God Repent...? Can God Change His Mind...? [And an Utter Demolishment of the Humanistic Myth of Man’s “Free Will” and Arminianism]; Balaicius, 506pp., 30.00 + P&H. Dovetails nicely w/ God and Evil & Sovereignty of God. Lively, profound, revealing, thought provoking, convincing thought, logic, Scripture. Exposes subversion of true Christian faith in counter reformation re-introducing false theology of Origen and Pelagius; corruption of modern church by Jesuits, crypto-jews & terribly deceived humanists (Schleiermacher, Kant, Kierkegaard, Spinoza, Barth, Schweitzer, Erasmus of Rotterdam, etc.); undermining of Puritan church by Solomon Stoddard, and much more; dissects false theology from 1 chapter of 2 different books (1 by Dr. Norman Geisler and 1 by Brother Andrew).  This is the one to start with.
- God and Evil: Did God Create Sin and Evil? The Facts of My Imaginary, Evanescent Heresy Trial - The Death Knell of Arminianism at the Hand of the Word of God; Balaicius, 280pp., pb., 18.00 + P&H.  
- The Sovereignty of God, Arthur Pink, Critical Annotated edition (200pp., of Pink’s original, the rest annotations by R.A.B.) 648pp., pb., 32.50 + P&H.
- The Sovereignty of God, Predestination, “Free” Will, and the Protestant Reformation; Balaicius, 192pp., pb., 16.00 + P&H.]

The U.S. is NOT supposed to be a Democracy (which is actually outlawed in the U.S. Constitution) — and neither is Christianity.  The majority are to decide NOTHING: not the majority even of God’s people — and certainly not the majority of the wicked!  MORALITY determines everything that is acceptable (the difference between good and evil, right and wrong in every area of life) and all are to conform to that never-changing Holy Standard established by God — upon which our Founders established this nation; upon which all the nations of Christendom were founded.*  The majority do not vote to determine “what morality is”.  God forever established morality each and every time that He commanded, “Thou shalt not!” and “This shalt thou do!”  That is the only source of morality and it never changes.  Evil never becomes good.  Sin never becomes virtue.  Abominations never become wholesome.

[* See: The Dooms of King Alfred (Laws of England established a.d. c.890 based upon Bible / God’s Law) 58pp., 6.00 + P&H; bilinear Anglo-Saxon (Old English) & English translation; and The Liberty Document: The National Debt: Does It Exist & If So Who Owes It? & Some Thoughts On The Hidden Agenda Behind Immigration, Gun Control & The Health sCARE Monopoly (2020); full of statistics, common law citations, court rulings, clear thought, powerful info.; 350pp., pb., 20.00 + P&H.]
The majority of Christians, if they were ever regenerated, are traitors: traitors to God and traitors to their nation.  Every tree is known by it’s fruit; not by the “label it wears”, not by what it “claims” to be (or “identifies as” at the moment).  The greatest wake-up call of all time will be on the Day of Judgment when the majority of “Christians”, even those who thought that they were doing “wonderful works” in His Name (which Name they do not even know) shall hear: “I never knew you; depart from Me ye that work iniquity [lawlessness: the violation of all that God established as morality].”  

At this point, anyone who has the faintest spark of Divine Light to draw him to repentance to God should be asking as God’s people did in the first century, their consciences being pricked upon hearing the declarations of Peter, when they cried out in desperation: “What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37); and as Paul’s jailer after the earthquaked implored, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).  Those “Christians” who are not convicted simply demonstrate that they are spiritually dead; and the fact that that endictment does not shake them to their core is merely more evidence of the truth of the indictment.

Scripture tells us, 

“3And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His Commandments.  4He that saith, ‘I know Him’, and keepeth not His Commandments, is a liar, and the Truth is not in him.  5But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the Love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.  6He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.” (I John 2)

Note that the above passage does NOT say that “if you ‘love’ you fufill the whole Law and don’t need to keep it”...!  That is nebulous nonsense and esoteric idiocy.  Furthermore, love is not defined by sinful humans, but by God — Who Himself is Love.  Love is not merely a gushy feeling; though gushy feelings can accompany true love.  Love is obedience, self-sacrifice, committment.  Love is the motivation for obeying God.  If you love God, your Heavenly Father, you will do what He commanded.  If you love your kinsman, you will not rob him, commit adultry with his wife, rape his daughter, murder his son, bear false witness against him in court after you have moved the property line!*  Neither is repentance merely a good or bad feeling.  Repentance is stopping doing what God forbade and starting doing what God commanded.  The problem is, the majority of “Christians” think that the Law of God was abolished, and without knowing it, they embrace the pseudo-morality of the Apostate Church and Babylon, the wicked world, and bear God’s Curse in that they call evil ‘good’ and good ‘evil’ — and violate everything that He commanded and think that He is pleased with them!

[* None of the Ten Commandments were ever abolished or changed (not even the Sabbath) — and there are not merely 10 of them!  The Ten Commandments are ten categories of law under which each individual law of God is organized.  Jesus said NOT a single jot (smallest letter) or tittle (keriah, “horn”) artistic flourish on a letter of the Law would pass away.  See: Are We Keeping God’s Law Yet?, Balaicius, 500pp., 6x9, pb., 28.00 + P&H.  Morality never changes—God’s Law is the only source of morality; when we sin, God will not hear our prayers or deliver / protect us; in-depth discussion many Laws of Scripture, reveals spiritual meaning behind laws of God, physical reason why given; detailed, practical, insightful study; what it means to “meditate” upon God’s Law.  God’s Law establishes morality in every area of life, which never changes.  God promises to bless us when we obey; and judge us when we violate what He Commanded.]

Read again the brief excerpt above from I John 2.  Tell me, can a person be a Christian if he does not even know God and if the Truth is not in him...?  Jesus said, “I am ... the Truth” (John 14:6) and He called the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of Truth” (John 15:26).
Understand clearly: Regeneration is 100% the Work of the Holy Ghost determined by God the Father in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world.  Salvation is not an “emotional experience”; though emotions (happiness, relief, peace) can accompany salvation.  

Understand: The Holy Spirit alone “converts” any individual elect child of God.  When any man thinks that he has “converted” to Christianity or to some specific denomination, that is not Biblical conversion: that is merely his having changed his pseudo-spiritual country club membership.  

Understand clearly: Jesus is not Saviour of those for whom He is not Lord.  Your Lord is the one WHOM YOU OBEY; not merely someone to whom you momentarily, ritualistically bow as he passes by you in public, every now and then.  God owns all by act of Creation: “The Earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1); “all souls are Mine” (Ezekiel 18:4); “whatsoever is under the whole heaven is Mine” (Job 41:11).  God / Christ also own each individual regenerated elect child of God by act of Redemption.  “19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (I Corinthians 6)  Bought with a price.  This logically infers ownership.  Those who live as if they were never bought with a price probably never were!  “Every tree is known by his own fruit.” (Luke 6:44)

Sin blocks (stops up) God’s Ears so He does not hear (honor) prayers (Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:1,2).  Sin withholds God’s Blessing.  Sin incurs God’s Judgment.

Obedience to what God commanded / keeping the Law of God / walking in His Ways does NOT contribute to salvation.  It is a by-product / evidence of regeneration; it is sanctification by which theory is put into practice.  Walking in your father’s footsteps / obeying your father’s “house rules” does not cause you to be conceived or born — that alone is the result of the fathers will and act of procreation.  Walking in your father’s footsteps / obeying your father’s “house rules” establishes you as an honorable son whom the father will bless.  Of course, merely going through the motions without regeneration, conversion, repentance is meaningless ritual.  Merely because a parrot can learn to bark does not make it a dog.  There is what is known as “false fruit”.  Judas demonstrated that.  As I point out in my S.T. Expository Commentary on John 18-21 [800pp., 45.00 + P&H] — none of the other disciples suspected Judas when Jesus dropped the bombshell at the Last Supper that one of them sitting there would betray Him!  Not one said to another (or even to himself), “It must be that dirty scoundrel Judas — I never trusted him!”  Tares are sown in among the wheat for a reason — they are undiscernible except by expert eye, and they are toxic!*

[* There are numerous noxious weeds that can overtake the good seed in a garden / field and choke the life from them; and there are brambles.  But tares are specific: Darnels.  They look like wheat but are full of toxins and can make a person seem as if he is drunk and they destroy the liver.]

The majority of “Christians” think that Jesus (or Paul) abolished the Law of God — even though Jesus specifically said that He did NOT and even though He commanded us NOT TO EVEN THINK IT!  “Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy...” (Matthew 5:17)  The parallel passage to v.18 explains it in better phraseology for those who are easily confused: “And it is easier for heaven and Earth to pass [of their own volition, God’s Watchcare and Governorship failing!], than one tittle [horn-like flourish on the top of a letter] of the Law to fail” (Luke 16:17).  Morality never changes.  God never changes.  God’s Word never changes.  God’s Will never changes.  God’s Plan never changes.  What God declared to be sin and abominations 4,000 years ago still are today and always will be!  God does not change with the times or conform to the wicked world.  It is the duty of God’s people to conform to God or be rejected.  Those who are truly regenerated will want to obey God.  That is the key.  That is why the majority of “Christians” reject the Law of God — and in so doing reject God (which is merely evidence that God has rejected them and given them that rebellious, hateful nature, and sent them delusion to believe a lie).

Jesus said that His sheep know His Voice and follow (obey) Him, and that they will not follow the voice of strangers (John 10:5,27).  Jesus rhetorically queried of some: “Why call ye Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, and do not the things I say?” (Luke 6:44)  The answer is: Because ye are not My sheep.

He that hath ears, let him hear...