The AudioBook, Before Genesis Chapter 1, Verse 1, Authored By David Abankwah Through The Inspiration Of God
Chapter 8
Main Heading: Before Genesis 1:1, Two Categories Of People Were Established In God
Bible Verse: Matthew Chapter 25, Verse Number 32
And I Quote
All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his SHEEP from the GOATS.
We sometimes wonder why behavioural pattern differs, and, are unique to each individual. Sometimes good people become evil, and evil people become good. We can originate from the same parent, but our character, which is the dominant personality, differs.
There are some women who fight for their rights, so they can be equal to men; often termed as ‘gender equality,’ but little do they know every individual is unique in his or her own way, whether male or female. It is not gender that makes one more valuable than the other.
Also, many homosexuals also fight for their rights, so they too can have equal standing with heterosexual people around the globe. These and many others are measures, put in place, to bridge the gap between several opposing characterisations that exist among different categories of people.
Thinking you are odd and trying to conform yourself to the image of others is a contempt for your uniqueness. It is not a new thing when people try various ways to correct the image they were created with, but they don’t apply such diligence to correct the sinful likeness they have.
God knows we are not the same because He is the origin of our uniqueness. Differentiation in His creation has proved so from the world of old. If someone says there was nothing like before the beginning, then the person wants to say, there was no God that existed before the beginning to make unique things.
Sometimes, you have to sit down and analyse certain things that concerns God. To know someone, you ought to be closer to the person and not judge from afar. The closer you are, the lesser the doubts and the quieter you become for having the questions you once had, answered.
Subheading: Parenting
Parenting, which is the kinship relation between an offspring and the parent, has always been there from the beginning. I used to depend solely on my mother even when I became of age.
Having mothers by your side always make you feel special. Though there are mummies that are not caring but they are quite better than a father who is not. I know many fathers won’t be happy by what I am saying, but that’s the truth.
A country is tagged as a female and not a male. It was God’s doing before the beginning. It is weird for our understanding, but it is the masterpiece of God’s establishment. God planned everything before they happened. This is why from Genesis to Revelation, there was no sentence as ‘God was surprised when He saw this or that happening.’
In the beginning, God didn’t create anything evil. This is because He saw the things that He created with His six Spirits for 6000 years, that, ‘they were good.’ None of them was seen as bad by God. Trees were seen as good; waters were seen as good; animals were also seen as good; angels were seen as good, and humans were also seen as good.
Why then did bad things set in then? Sin is the enemy of good things. When you take a closer look at a sinner who is filled with anger, don’t you sense danger or evil as an aftermath of that anger? The changed countenance has something to do with a potential evil that can befall the victim.
From the onset of sin, good things have not been lone anymore. The duality of bad and good has not affected only the creatures of God but His images as well. When Jesus Christ came, He used two words to describe the duality of morality that had affected man. Sheep and goat were the two words He used and these are the categories of people established before Genesis 1:1.
Subheading: The Parent
Bible Verse: Genesis Chapter 2, Verse Number 9
And I Quote
And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The TREE OF LIFE was also in the midst of the garden, and the TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL.
The origin of the existence of every child is from the father, but is the mother who carries the seed. No matter how many sperms the father releases, the mother can decide to spoil the sperms or the pregnancy, through any birth control or abortion.
This is why when married couples stay for a very long time, and there is no child, the wife receives the lion’s share of the blame, but, maybe the problem could come from the husband. Many husbands blame their wives that they are barren, meanwhile such men have low sperm count.
It was God the Father who planted the seeds of knowledge of good or evil, and life in the mother earth for her to produce two categorized characters of evil and righteousness, iniquity, and holiness through the Word of God.
The word is Jesus Christ, because, He was the only God among the Godhead who became flesh as seen In John 1:14. He carried all the universe, including the two categories of people inside His womb. The word was the mother of all creation.
Bible Verse: John Chapter 1, Verse Number 3
And I Quote
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
If it was through Jesus Christ all things were created, then the trees of good or evil and life are of no exception. The source of sin, resulted from the eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which man did and he is still doing.
If the words ‘all things were made by Him’ in John 1:3 is anything to go by, then the mother of all creation who is the Word, gave birth to the creatures of sheep and goats, or in order words – good and evil children. The Word of God contains not only the good things people did but sinful acts, but, we are entreated to follow righteousness and eschew sin.
God used the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the tree of life to categorize His children. It wasn’t God’s intention of making man fall. We could have done better by resisting the devil’s temptation in the Garden of Eden.
If sin was not first created, then it wouldn’t have been possible for it to be committed by Adam and Eve. Death, as the final product of sin, was put into the forbidden tree of good and evil. It was birthed by the Word of God to help separate the sheep and goats of humanity.
Subheading: The Good Sheepherder
Bible Verse: John Chapter 10, Verse Number 14
And I Quote
I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards herds of sheep. It is an old term which is derived from a two combined Old English terms of ‘sceaphierde,’ thus ‘sceap’ which means sheep and ‘hierde’ which means herder.
The word, good here means beautiful and noble. This cannot be adequately represented in English by the term good. In Greek, it is a word that sums up the chief attributes of ideal perfection. Jesus Christ is that perfection.
In Biblical times, sheepherding was a hard work. The sheep needed constant care and attention, as they were not kept in fenced fields. They could wander anywhere. Every day the shepherd needed to lead the flock to suitable pasture, and water, and care for the sick or the injured ones.
When they travelled, the shepherd led, and the sheep followed behind. Now the question we must ask ourselves is that, how was Jesus Christ a good shepherd to us?
Subheading: The Hallmarks Of Jesus Christ As The Good Shepherd
Number 1: The concern of the safety of the sheep matters most for Jesus Christ.
Bible Verse: John Chapter 10, Verse Number 11
And I Quote
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd GIVES HIS LIFE for the sheep.
Sheepherding has its risks and consequent measures one needs to put into play. I once had the idea that, those who were good shepherds were great feeders and caregivers of the sheep. Little did I know of their sacrifices they offered.
The giving of the lives of shepherds, can be the payment of the properties destroyed by the animals he herds; it can be the payment of his own life, concerning the lives that, the animals he herds has killed; it can make one lose all bodily attributes, and functions necessary to sustain life, thus, which include the enjoyment, that goes on in the open squares; suffer the pains of death because, one’s life will be at the mercy of venomous animals, as one takes them out in search of greener pastures and many more.
As the good shepherd, Jesus Christ was concerned primarily with the safety of his followers, and even went beyond that to willingly lay down His life for us. If He had been a bad shepherd, He could have slaughtered one of us, when we looked diseased, or ill because of sin.
Sin makes us ill or diseased spiritually, and it is sin that gradually kills us as seen in Romans 6:23. Jesus Christ knew the best way, was to solve the puzzle of our lives once and for all. The cure mattered to Him, most than the preventive measures put in place by the Patriarchs, Prophets, Kings, Judges, and the rest. As the good shepherd, He took the sins we had committed, which could have breached the walls of our safety.
Anytime we come to Him and say, ‘Lord I have sinned, I know as your sheep, I ought to have followed you always, but, I chose my path. Now, I have repented of my wrong doings. Please, accept me as your sheep again.’ As the good shepherd, He is willing enough to accept us back, and to lay our feet on the right path of salvation.
Number 2: Jesus Christ was so compassionate toward His sheep.
Bible Verse: Mark Chapter 6, Verse Number 34
And I Quote
And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was MOVED WITH COMPASSION for them…..
When Jesus Christ started His ministry, and He saw the people in Mark 6:34, He had compassion on them, because, they were harassed by other wild animals and became helpless, like a sheep without a shepherd.
As the good shepherd, Jesus Christ saw their needs, and still sees ours today. He knew their physical and spiritual needs and He knows ours too. Without these needs, I don’t think Jesus Christ could spend hours with them in preaching, teaching, and healing.
Without having compassion as a Shepherd for the sheep that you rear in the house of God through Christ, you won’t be willing to sacrifice a lot for their needs. Sometimes, the needs of the sheep can squander the great fortune you have, but, it is worth spending. Without spending, you can never care for the sheep of Christ, and you can never be the good shepherd you ought to be as Jesus Christ was.
The enemy of compassion is indifference. The hearts of many shepherds are like stones. They lack the humane quality of first: understanding the suffering of their sheep, and second: the need to do something about it. They are just bearing the titles of shepherds, but in reality, they are not doing the job they ought to have done.
To be a good shepherd, there is none better than the sheepherding skills of Jesus Christ. The secret of His achievement is what is written boldly in Mark 6:34, which is about having the trait of compassion.
What amuses me is that, we are compassionate about the wrong things, and not the people who have gone astray. What you are passionate about, is what you have compassion for. Many shepherds have passion for their sheep, when things are rosy, especially when they start receiving money and kinds such as cars, houses, lands etcetera from them. In that case, the poor are excluded from the sheep that they should have had compassion for.
Do well to be compassionate in all circumstances. Compassion will make you preach, teach, and heal the sheep of God even when you are very busy, when you have run out of money, when you can fabricate flimsy excuses to escape the burden of sheepherding, and other things that can take your eyes off the piteous sheep who need you in their lives.
As a good shepherd, you ought to follow in the footsteps of the One, who was the Author and Finisher of the faith of His sheep. You have to believe that, you too can reach that height, and work towards it as well. As you develop the skill of compassion, then you will find yourself reaching the lost sheep of the Lord, that He wants you to bring into the fold.
Compassion is therefore a mandatory ability you should acquire, when you have the goal in sight to become a good shepherd, like Jesus Christ.
Number 3: The possessed sheep of others were also the concern of Jesus Christ.
Bible Verse: Mark Chapter 6, Verse Number 34
And I Quote
…..because they were like sheep not having a shepherd…..
Every good shepherd has a characteristic trait of not being selfish. Selfish is more common in our world nowadays. When many people assume offices, they seek to find ways of coveting the public or private business’s money for ourselves and our families. No one genuinely seeks the interest of the nation at all. For that matter, bribery, and corruption are on the rise.
What many people do in the secular world, is what they bring into the ministry as well. Now, many leaders or minsters of God are selfish. Give them a branch, and they will soon claim that, the church is their own property.
The church is not the property of any mortal. No one has died and used his blood to purchase any sheep! It is Jesus Christ alone who is the owner of the church. As a worker in the vineyard, you want to claim what is not rightfully yours.
Church is not a secular business that, when you don’t have a secular job to do, you choose to go to Bible school so you can be employed in. The life of the chosen ones, is different from the ones who desired to work for the Lord.
Those who were chosen by the Lord, are not money conscious. They are more conscious of completing the work that the owner of the church has given to them, so they can be rewarded in heaven and not on earth.
Because many Shepherds are not chosen by God, but were chosen by their stomachs, and they think that, the church is an avenue to regain material possessions they had lost for not getting secular jobs to do. But look at what Jesus Christ said to Peter in Matthew 16:18.
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build MY CHURCH, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
The church is for Jesus Christ. We are all working for Him. If you have gotten the privilege to work in His vineyard, don’t think it’s a right, rather, it is a privilege. Never forget that you are an employee and not the employer. And never familiarise with the boss. Know your place in the vineyard.
Even in the corporate world, the worker is not at the same level as the boss. The moment the worker thinks, and acts as if he or she is the boss of the church, will be his or her way out from the institution.
When you have the right mindset, and the eyes to see the future of the church in her right perspective, the sheep of others will be your concern. There is only one doctrine that we must use. This is the doctrine of Jesus Christ.
There are many sheep in other churches, that have gone out of the way, and are led into many fairy tales by poor shepherds. As a good shepherd, you must do your very best to draw their attention to the right path. Don’t say ‘oh but I don’t go to that church, or I am not part of that denomination, or that’s a grey area, I can’t touch on that one.’
If the souls of the sheep of other churches which belong to God are your concern, then you have the authority of Christ to lead the sheep of other churches into salvation. The nurturing of every sheepfold is the utmost concern of every good shepherd. The eyes of every good shepherd, look around to find someone to help every sheep, know God better.
Subheading: The Unselfish Evangelist
Evangelism is the work of God, Jesus Christ, left for us to do. The Great Commission is a command for every Christian to reach out to the lost souls. As we were lost and Jesus Christ came for us, so we must also reach out to those who are also lost.
There is a certain Evangelist I knew who really cared about the sheep. One remarkable thing about him was that, anytime he held crusades, the souls that were won by the Lord through him were not taken to his church, but other churches, who were around such a place (if some of the churches he was presiding over, were not founded there).
He even let the souls decide willingly the church they want to join, after having such an altar call. This was because, the free will of the souls was his prime concern. He didn’t want any sheep to think that he was forced into a church he didn’t really want to be in. He knew that, the fact that he had won their souls through Christ, didn’t mean that they have to go to his church only.
It is God who calls, and it is Him who knows the place of fellowship He had designated His people to be. This Evangelist had the interest of the new converts at heart like the good shepherd who knocks at the doors of our hearts, not forcing us to let Him in as seen in Revelation 3:20.
Many Ministers don’t buy the idea of this Evangelist at all, since they want more members to fill their churches, who are even willing to break the blocks of other churches to bring their members into theirs.
They also want these sheep to give meaty offerings and tithes for them. The motive behind most Evangelists, is not right before God, and that is why they are always money-conscious. No wonder it pains them a lot for losing a lot of money to save souls, rather than spending on material things that do not benefit the church.
At times, this Evangelist would do crusades for other churches to get more souls. One time he said that, ‘I will be too bored in New Jerusalem when I find myself alone there.’ That is why he made sure he had to care for other sheep who were not in his sheepfold.
Do well to work on other sheep who are not from your church. All sheep are for Jesus Christ, so when you work on those you think are not yours, you are indirectly working for Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ took care of the sheep who were not in His ministry or sheepfold, even though all sheep are His because He is the head of the church. This is what we must also do as Shepherds. We should not only think about the sheep we have in our various churches or ministry but that of others.
Today, many Shepherds tell their church members not to listen to the preaching of other Shepherds just because, they think they will be corrupted by the ‘bad food’ of these Ministers.
If you know that the food you are feeding the sheep with is the unadulterated word of God, and they are the property of Jesus Christ, whom no one can snatch them away from His hand, then why are you scared of the fellowship of other Shepherds with such sheep? No one has a sheep. Every sheep belongs to Jesus Christ.
Subheading: The Sheep
Bible Verse: John Chapter 10, Verse Number 3
And I Quote
To him the doorkeeper opens, and the SHEEP hear his voice; and he calls his own SHEEP by name and leads them out.
With this opening verse, we get to know certain things about the shepherd and the sheep as well. I have had personal experiences about those who reared domestic animals. I have even help rear some before so I know what I am talking about.
Rearing animals is not an easy task at all. Without patience, temperance, meekness, angerless, and steadfastness, you will quit. Talking about the people God walked with them, many of them were shepherds. Patriarchs such as Abraham, Jacob, Isaac and the twelve tribes of Israel, were all shepherds.
One of the most successful kings in the history of Israel and Judah, was a certain King David who was once a shepherd. Even some of the Prophets God called, were once shepherds. Typical example is Old Testament prophet called Amos, who was a shepherd in the rugged area around Tekoa.
Sheep are meek animals. They are usually quieter and gentle, who hold themselves aloof from the world. In a herd, all the sheep tend to listen to their leaders, and are esteemed to them. Because of their obedient character, sheep are among the most popular animals loved by mankind.
Subheading: The Three Main Characteristics Of The Sheep Of God
Number 1: The sheep obey their shepherd.
Bible Verse: John Chapter 10, Verse Number 3
…..and the sheep hear his voice…..
One of the characteristics of the sheep who are the people of God, is that, they have a rare feature among many animals concerning their art of listening. The sheep category of people who were elected before the beginning of the universe, are circumspect concerning what they hear.
‘Hear,’ comes from the Greek word ‘ἀκούω’ which is transliterated as ‘akouó,’ and is therefore pronounced as: ak oo’-o). Akouó, means ‘to pass, to comprehend by hearing, and to listen.’
Hearing is one aspect of Christianity, that is needed for our spiritual growth. There is growth that comes by reading, growth that comes by seeing, and growth that comes by touching. Hearing is significant for bringing upliftment in our walk of faith.
Bible Verse: Revelation Chapter 1, Verse Number 3
And I Quote
Blessed is he who READS and those who HEAR the words of this prophecy, and KEEP those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Hearing is not enough, but obeying what has been said, is what matters most. We all hear the Word of God, but how many of us remember? How many of us do what the Word of God says? How many of us can teach others also? There is a difference between people who hear, and do as they are instructed to and those who don’t.
There is no significant change in the lives of those who hear God’s Word and those who obey Him. Your state as a temple of God, is dependent on the faith you have, that came by the hearing of God’s Word. This is why we are entreated by James in chapter 1, verse number 22, that…..
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
From the advice James, the brother of Jesus Christ gave us in James 1:22 about the practice of Christianity, that distinguishes us from the goat category of people is that, the sheep not only hears the word only, but act in accordance to what had been said.
To know the deceiving sheep in Christianity, depends on the fruit of failure to do what the Bible says concerning the faith and its works. Jesus Christ knows perfectly that, we all have ears, but hear about what He said in Revelation 2:29, that…..
“He who has an EAR, let him HEAR what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’
He knows that, there are many fake sheep in the vineyard. They only hear, but they never do what He tells them, through the Spirit of God. Who are you listening to? Is it the Spirit of God, or the Spirit of Satan? What you listen to, influences you. You will consciously or unconsciously do what you give your ears to.
Many sheep listen to worldly songs, as if it is a normal thing to do. They see no wrong giving their ears to worldly songs. What you give your ears to, becomes a spirit that controls you. When you give your ears to worldly songs, you will have Satan and his agents as your guests. You may not see them physically, but they are around you spiritually.
What will Satan or his agents do to you when they are around you? There are three things they do: they steal, they kill, and they destroy. Be mindful of what you give your ears to, so you can always maintain the sheep-like characteristic concerning your walk of faith with the Lord.
Number 2: The sheep knows the identity of the shepherd.
Bible Verse: John Chapter 10, Verse Number 3
And I Quote
…..and he calls his own sheep by name…..
The secret of people, makes them powerful. They become astonished when others whom they haven’t disclosed such a secret to them, know about it. Therefore, your secret needs to be kept. Anyone who cannot keep his or her secret, will definitely fall. After Adam told Eve the secret of the forbidden tree, that He should have kept between him and God, was the beginning of his fall.
A name is a secret of life, and one’s identity as well. Many of those who are famous genuinely, want to be like commoners whose identities are not known much to the public. Many rich people who are famous, have a certain fear of losing what they have. They think the secret of their wealth will be made known to the public, and that can let thieves break in, and steal what they have.
The shepherd knows the sheep by name, and the sheep know the name of their shepherd as well. The identity of both parties is very important. What will you feel if someone you are closer to struggles to keep your name, which is your identity? Actually, you will feel unimportant and embarrassed.
It is your responsibility to know the name of someone who is closer to you, especially if you are a Shepherd. You cannot keep calling people by their statuses, such as Mister or Mistress, Doctor, or Madam.
Knowing people’s names and their impact or meaning, will definitely help you know how you can flow with them godly, emotionally, socially, financially, and in one’s health life. Names depict everything a person is, and it is this that can make you know why the sheep you are presiding over, behave.
Subheading: The Assistant School Master
When I was in senior high school, thus in the year of our Lord 2007, we once had an assistant school master who knew all the names of the students in school. I once heard that, the same reputation in our school was what he had in the previous school before he moved to ours. It was quite amazing how he could do that.
His level of strictness also was something to write home about. Many of the students who went out of school without authorisation, and were caught by this assistant school master, did not go scot free.
Apart from his memory of names, he was also good at facial recognition concerning the identity of the sheep he had to preside over in the school. When he meets you in town without an exeat, thus, a signed permit proof for absence from a college), he won’t say anything, but when you return, your name will be mentioned at the assembly hall and the proper sanction will be spelt out.
As a leader or shepherd of the school, he didn’t compromise knowing what should be the concern of a Shepherd, who should know the names of the students or sheep put under his care. If secular people know the names or the identity of the sheep they preside over, then many Ministers should do better.
In ministerial sense, we ought to put in much diligence into the knowledge of our sheep’s identity. I know the attitude of knowing the identity of our sheep is not the concern of shepherds, but when we persevere to do it, God can grant us such an ability.
As the Shepherd needs to know the identity of their sheep, the sheep or the followers too, need to know the identities of their leaders or shepherds they are following. Before you even decide to be in a particular church, you must have first tested the Spirit of that church and have known the authenticity of the angel of that church.
If a blind sheep follows a blind shepherd, the two of you all will go to the lake of fire and not only the Shepherd. If you don’t care knowing such, you will be in a congregation of the dead as seen in Proverbs 21:16. And if an evil or false minister or Shepherd leads the sheep, all of them will fall into the ditch of the lake of fire.
When the sheep knows the identity of the shepherd or the leader, it becomes easier to succumb to the direction, and obligations of the master who presides over him or her. Obedience becomes an easy thing to do.
A shepherd whom his or her sheep knows him or her well and are loyal to his or her ministry, feels a special connection to such a sheep. People wants to get closer to those who know their secrets and still do well to keep them intact.
Just knowing someone by name, is not enough. You need to know much and still be humble to such a person. Knowing people well, does not give you the license to misbehave. There is a certain risk associated with the knowledge of people.
This risk is what we call familiarity. Familiarity in this context of expression, is an unduly informal act or expression that is exhibited when someone has a personal knowledge or information about someone or something.
Usually, familiarity breeds contempt, in that, the more acquainted one becomes with someone, the more one knows about the person’s shortcomings and, hence, the easier it is to despise the person or show lack of respect or reverence.
It is therefore the duty of the sheep to do away with any contempt of their leaders as they get closer to them. The sheep should make sure that, irrespective of the knowledge of shortcomings they have about their Shepherds, that has nothing to do with sin, should be kept as a secret by them.
Good sheep keep the self-respect, loyalty, and the self-esteem they have for their shepherd intact, in spite the knowledge or information they have concerning their Shepherd. Before the beginning, the sheep that were chosen by God, knew Him well and were ready to deal with all manner of familiarities, so they could serve Him well in all reverence and respect.
Number 3: The sheep are followers of the shepherd.
Bible Verse: John Chapter 10, Verse Number 3
And I Quote
…..and leads them out.
Before the beginning, the sheep of God were always willing to follow Him everywhere He went. To follow: is to travel behind, go after, come after someone, and willing to act in accordance with someone’s rules, commands, and wishes.
The truth is that, many people cannot be led. They think they are too big or too high, or egoistic, to submit under someone’s rules, wishes, and commands. After all, ‘I am the boss of my own self,’ they say.
No one wants to be led in actual fact, but, it is for our own good on this snake planet we live in. As far as the devil is the god of this world, we ought to be led by God through His people or Shepherds. God respects authorities, and it is Him who enacts them.
Our Parents, Ministers of God, Principals, President, friends, and family etc, are all people God determined for our lives, before we were born. It was never a mistake that God chose a drunkard to be your parent or your boss to be a womanizer.
Since you know Jesus Christ, you are placed strategically in that gap, to lead them into salvation. It is not in your position to be pointing fingers and accusing them.
Anyone who is placed above you, needs to be respected, and their rules, commands, and wishes that go contrary to the word of God, must be addressed by you in an honest and polite way. Though you ought to follow Shepherds, you have to follow things that are righteous. Be bold, so you can express any grievances you have about your Shepherd in that regard.
The Bible is the ultimate manual for everyone. Its rules and regulations, should be the fundamentals for the leadership or sheepherding of the sheep. We are entreated as sheep in Ephesians 6:1 that…
CHILDREN, obey your PARENTS in the LORD, for this is RIGHT.
Many parents and children don’t understand this particular quotation. At times, parents quote Ephesians 6:1 when their kids are beyond control and they need them to be on level terms with their instructions. Instead of them setting examples of godliness, they think they can instruct their kids with the Bible only, and not with their own lives.
Well, you have done well knowing at least a Scripture to guide your life, but you need this explanation. Parents are the authorities over their kids. Kids are sheep and parents are shepherds.
The condition of the sheep’s obedience is that, they can only be directed, ruled, or led by you as an authority, only if you are not living in sin, thus IN THE LORD, as seen in Ephesians 6:1. Make sure as a leader, you are abreast of all the sins and iniquities in the Bible more than your followers, so you can lead them towards holiness, setting an example not only in words, but by deeds.
Bible Verse: First Timothy Chapter 4, Verse Number 12
And I Quote
…..Be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
Every good shepherd or leader is someone, who knows what God likes and dislikes, and is ready to pass them on to his subordinates. There is a way that people need to go, and many shepherds or leaders have failed to teach in that manner.
Bible Verse: Deuteronomy Chapter 11, Verse Number 18 To 19
And I Quote
Therefore you shall lay up these WORDS OF MINE IN YOUR HEART AND IN YOUR SOUL, and bind them as a SIGN ON YOUR HAND, and they shall be as FRONTLETS BETWEEN YOUR EYES. You shall TEACH THEM TO YOUR CHILDREN, speaking of them when you SIT IN YOUR HOUSE, when you WALK BY THE WAY, when you LIE DOWN, and when you RISE UP.
Your subordinates are not there to follow the world and its desires. They need to follow the word of the Lord. You have failed as a leader, because, you have not laid up the words of the Lord as a sign upon your hand, so your sheep can easily see Christ in all the works of your hand, and frontlets between your eyes, thus, your Christianity should be clearly seen by your sheep, so they too can flow accordingly.
You are to teach the sheep the ways of God all the time and not sometimes. Many authorities teach their subordinates the ways of God when they are in good mood, or when they feel like. The sheep should follow you all the time.
With the least carelessness on your part as a shepherd, something else can catch their attention, preventing your sheep from following you. It is the natural characteristic of subordinates to follow you when you are consistent in your dealings as a leader.
Subheading: The Bad Sheepherder
Bible Verse: John Chapter 10, Verse Number 10
And I Quote
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
In contrast to the good sheepherding, there is also the bad shepherd the Bible stresses on. He is the master of all bad shepherds we have around. In John 10, we saw that Jesus Christ, the Good shepherd, giving us clues about the bad shepherd.
Every outstanding leader, makes sure he enlightens his sheep, concerning fake shepherds, who come around and pretend they are as good as other genuine leaders. They are normally pretenders, who come with a personal driven and hidden agenda, which the sheep are unaware.
Jesus Christ didn’t want us to fall at the peril of such leaders and hence, told us everything we need to know about sheepherders who are directly opposite to him.
Jesus Christ, who went into the temple courts after spending some time on the Mount of Olives, taught the congregation so many things which concerned Him. The congregation had little or no understanding of the message He was delivering.
One thing that aroused controversy, and heat within the congregation was that, Jesus Christ professed to exist before Abraham. The Judeans even asked him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old! Have you seen Abraham?’ As they were eager to take his life before His time, Jesus Christ went out from the temple area.
As He passed by the outskirts of Judea, He healed a blind man and did a personal outreach. He addressed on the first issue of bad sheepherding which the Pharisees were experts in, but were unaware of the fatherly cause.
Jesus Christ, as the good shepherd began telling them the characteristics of the bad shepherd who is Satan and anyone who follows him. The followers of Satan are not sheep, but goats. These goats are also termed as the children of the night or darkness.
Bible Verse: First Thessalonians 5, Verse Number 5
And I Quote
You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
Subheading: The Characteristics Of Satan As The Bad Shepherd
Number 1: The bad shepherd is the ancient thief who stole the first Adam and is still in the business of stealing.
Bible Verse: John Chapter 10, Verse Number 10
And I Quote
The thief does not come EXCEPT TO STEAL…..
Further Bible Verse: Genesis Chapter 3, Verse Number 6
And I Quote
So, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit, and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Adam and Eve, who were created by God on the sixth day of the creation week, were the first sheep of God. Before that time, Satan and his angels, whose plan of rebelling against God backfired, were cast down onto the earth which the Lord had created as seen in Revelation 12:7 to 9.
The sheep were then cautioned in verse 12 of the book of Revelations, to stay alert for the bad shepherd, who was and still the pioneer or the leader of all bad shepherds, who champions the cause of stealing the images of God.
Bible Verse: Revelation Chapter 12, Verse Number 12
And I Quote
Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! WOE TO THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH AND THE SEA! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.
The sheep, thus, Adam and Eve, were not ignorant of this caution because God Himself told Adam, the first sheep that, he shouldn’t eat from the forbidden tree, where the power of the bad shepherd was.
God told man what he needed to know about the bad shepherd. He did this, by giving him the commandment of the forbidden tree. He was also indirectly disclosing the identity of Satan as a thief, who could steal the authority He had given to man to be the god of the earth.
Satan, who is the ancient thief and still is, has never retired from this job. He has told no one when he is going to resign from this job, because, he knows his time is very short. As far as we are concerned, he is still in the business of stealing sheep and turning them into goats.
Remember his campaign days in heaven. He stole the minds of many angels to himself, and turned them into demons, whose purpose, was to fight against the will of God. This tactical approach was still the same, he used to cause the fall of man.
It worked perfectly for Him to get the very image of God. If the devil was not afraid, shy, timid or fearful before his compatriots in heaven, and the first Adam who was created in the image of God in absolute perfection, then we need to take heed lest we will fall.
No matter how prayerful you are, how many times you fast, or read your Bible, how often you evangelize, or do the things of God, the ancient thief doesn’t see the need of retreating from you. He is coming for you and lo, He is at your door!
Subheading: The Short Time
One of the things that characterizes a thief, is the shortness of duration concerning their operation. They know that, what they are doing is evil, so they waste little time at all. This makes them come stealthily, so they can execute their quick operation of theft.
An experienced thief takes brief time to steal, while an amateur will be caught, because of the longer time he elapses. If someone is in the business of pick-pocketing, the longer time he spends stealing something from someone’s pocket, the more likely he is going to be caught.
Satan didn’t need to spend a lot of time with the first Adam. All he needed was a shorter time to execute his plan with the second sheep, thus Eve, because, the longer he stayed, the more likely Adam would arrive, to prompt Eve, and the nearer the visitation of the Lord would be.
He deceived them and made them sin against God, through the act of theft. Man, who was a sheep for God, now became a goat, who feared to get closer to his good shepherd. Sin turns a sheep into a goat. Sin hides God’s face from us.
Bible Verse: Isaiah Chapter 59, Verse Number 2
And I Quote
But your iniquities have separated you from your God; AND YOUR SINS HAVE HIDDEN HIS FACE FROM YOU, so that He will not hear.
Satan is not ignorant of this at all. He has exploited this avenue, to deal with the generation that came, those who are existing now, and the ones who are yet to come. We all came from the first man, thus Adam, and we need to know he is around, to cause us to fall, if we don’t take heed of his old tricks.
It is not only God who hides Himself from us when we sin, but man who is the image of God, also hides from God when he sins. When Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God.
Bible Verse: Genesis Chapter 3, Verse Number 8
And I Quote
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Beloved, the reason you don’t want to go to the good church anymore is because, you will be exposed by the truth that comes from the Word of God, concerning the sin you do in secret, and for matter, the only way you can hide yourself from that, is to stay in the house or go to any false church.
To hide, is to keep oneself out of sight. One secret about thieves is that, their greatest weapon is the hour when they are out of sight. The moment the owner realizes that operation, that is the end. Every thief knows this, and cautiously undertakes their work of concealing seriously.
Satan who wants to steal us from God with many sins, hides in people, spirits, events, situations, circumstances, etc. You will never see Satan anywhere, but, you will find him hiding behind vessels, for concealing method of stealing.
Every shepherd must learn to overcome all the schemes of the enemy, which he uses to steal the sheep and the leader too. Don’t be ignorant of the things the bad sheepherder can use to do to you, and through you to affect the sheep.
Bible Verse: Second Corinthians 2, Verse Number 11
And I Quote
Lest Satan should take ADVANTAGE of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
Number 2: Satan is the killer of the sheep.
Bible Verse: John Chapter 10, Verse Number 10
And I Quote
The thief does not come except to…..KILL…..
Another thing the bad shepherd does, is to kill the people who are not on His side. God is the ultimate taker of lives, as Deuteronomy 32:39 talks about, so if any death will happen unless God permits it. The mode through which death takes place, is determined by God.
The word ‘kill’ here, is not to take one’s life physically, as we all know. Literally, we may be tempted to say that, Satan also kills, as it nullifies the prime authority of God, as the One who takes life in Deuteronomy 32:39.
We have three main deaths: the physical, spiritual, and second death. Deuteronomy 32:39, talks about God as the Ultimate taker of physical lives. Revelation 21:8, talks about God as the sender of sinners, into the lake of fire as the second death. But John 10:10 talks about Satan as the spiritual death taker.
Now what is physical death? Physical death, is when the soul leaves the body into the afterlife and spiritual death is, when one is separated from God temporally while the body lives, and spiritual death is eternal separation from God.
Bible Verse: Isaiah Chapter 59, Verse Number 2
And I Quote
But your INIQUITIES have SEPARATED you from your God…..
For spiritual death, you can be alive physically, but spiritually dead. Iniquity is an act of wrongdoing, that is beyond sin. Iniquity is multiple sin that takes spiritual washing, or cleaning to do away without. God will forgive you, but, you will reap what you sow, for God is not mocked.
After you become born again, He will pardon you when you sin, and will punish you before He forgives you totally, because, the punishment He would have given to you in the lake of fire, is what he gives to your body. But when you commit iniquity, He will not forgive, unless you overcome that deficit, by doing many right things.
When you commit iniquity, that act automatically separates you from God. Satan is the expert in dealing with the images of God, in the attempt of separating them from God who should have been their True Maker and Father, using the approach of iniquity.
God does not want us to be far from Him. He always wants us to draw closer to Him, so we can have a fruitful fellowship with Him. Even when we are far, He tries as much as possible to draw Himself nearer to us. As the source of life of fish is water, so the source of life
There are many things that can depict spiritual death, but the principal thing, is when you are not born again. I don’t know which religion you belong to, but if you are not a Christian, you are spiritually dead. If you are a believer too, and you live in sin, you are also spiritually dead.
The death of Jesus Christ, was to save us from spiritual death. Though there are other benefits of the cross such as healing, deliverance from all evils, prosperity, blessings among others, saved from eternal separation of our souls from God, was the main reason Jesus Christ had to die for us.
If you become born again, you will walk in this main benefit, and the other benefits will also follow you, thus, Mark 16:16 to 18. But if you don’t become born again, there is a consequence, which is the condemnation or perishing of such souls in the lake of fire, as seen in Romans 8:1 and John 3:16.
Bible Verse: John Chapter 3, Verse Number 16
And I Quote
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
To perish, is to be separated from God eternally. It is a dateless period, where one will be cut from His maker permanently. That is where those who didn’t want Jesus Christ to be their Saviour and Master, will get their part in the share of the opposite side of grace.
God will not force you to serve Him. If you serve Him, He is still God, if you don’t, He is still God. It is for your own good if you serve Him. The ultimate thing that leads people into spiritual death is unbelief.
There are people, no matter what you preach and teach about God and His Son Jesus Christ, they will never believe. This is the sin that leads to spiritual death, and when someone gets stuck in this mess, it will eventually lead him or her into eternal separation in the lake of fire.
Bible Verse: Revelation Chapter 21, Verse Number 8
And I Quote
But the cowardly, UNBELIEVING, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
The consequence of spiritual death, is at its best, when all sinful souls will be cast into the lake of fire, which is also called the second death. Even physical death and hell will face that eternal punishment.
Bible Verse: Revelation Chapter 20, Verse Number 14
And I Quote
Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. THIS IS THE SECOND DEATH.
So, what after I become born again? Is that all I have to do to escape the bad sheepherder’s plan of spiritual death? The answer is NO! When Satan came to Jesus Christ to tempt Him, whether He could get Him to be His goat, or to cause Him to separate from His Father, the Bible says, Satan left for a season.
Meaning, when you become born again, the battle is not yet over, until you are dead. Satan will come to you repeatedly, to see if you are not having any item of sin that belongs to him. What you need to do, is to keep watching so you don’t fall. Never lose guard!
Bible Verse: Matthew Chapter 26, Verse Number 41
And I Quote
Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Further Scriptural Reading: First Corinthians Chapter 10, Verse Number 12
And I Quote
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
Salvation is a work. The first part was done by Jesus Christ on the cross. The second part is for you to do, so your deliverance from spiritual death by the bad shepherd, can be complete. Jesus Christ had built the solid foundation of Christianity for us, but what is left for us, is to build on it with works. Paul saw this and urged us to do it.
Bible Verse: Philippians Chapter 2, Verse Number 12
And I Quote
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION with fear and trembling;
To watch, or to work out your own salvation, is to live a holy life, pray, fast, save souls, read the Bible, and other Christian books, study, and meditate on them, fellowship in the church that is not dead, and take part in all other activities of the faith.
Bible Verse: Ephesians Chapter 6, Verse Number 13 to 18
And I Quote
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having GIRDED YOUR WAIST WITH TRUTH, having put on the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having SHOD YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; above all, taking the SHIELD OF FAITH with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the HELMET OF SALVATION, and the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.
These activities in Ephesians 6:13 to 18, are what will help us overcome all the separation techniques of Satan. If you can go through all these daily, you will enter the level of inseparability, so you will be one with Paul and say…..
WHO SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST? Shall TRIBULATION, or DISTRESS, or PERSECUTION, or FAMINE, or NAKEDNESS, or PERIL, or SWORD? As it is written: “For Your sake WE ARE KILLED ALL DAY LONG; We are ACCOUNTED as SHEEP for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither DEATH nor LIFE, nor ANGELS nor PRINCIPALITIES nor POWERS, nor THINGS PRESENT nor THINGS TO COME, nor HEIGHT nor DEPTH, nor ANY OTHER CREATED THING, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, as seen in Romans 8:35 to 39.
The love of God cannot be seen in any religion, but in Christianity, and it is found in Jesus Christ only. When you grow in the faith of Jesus Christ, you will reach the advanced stage, that neither the things mentioned in Romans 8:35 to 39, that, Satan as the bad sheepherder brings, can ever separate you as a sheep from the love of God.
Number 3: Satan is the destroyer of the sheep.
Bible Verse: John Chapter 10, Verse Number 10
And I Quote
The thief does not come except…..DESTROY…..
The next thing the bad sheepherder does is that, after one is separated from the Lord, thus living in sin while he lives, he makes sure he keeps him in such a sin or sins, till such a person dies physically in that sin. In that case, the soul will forever be separated from the Lord, where his soul cannot be saved anymore.
Some of humanity the good shepherd has spent time building to be His temple, is the very target the bad shepherd wants to use few moments to bring them down. It takes several months or years to raise a building, but when an excavator arrives to destroy it, all the building will collapse within the shortest possible time.
Likewise, Jesus Christ spent three years on earth, laying the foundation of Christianity, and now, He is building it through Christians, but Satan has been here on earth for so many years, yet he hasn’t built any good thing for the souls of humanity to benefit from.
Satan started destroying God’s properties, thus angels first, right from heaven. Anytime Satan destroys, the state in which his preys were, changes. He destroyed the angels by using them to rebel against their Maker.
The form of these angels has not been the same again, after they were overthrown from heaven as seen in Revelation 12:9. The true and perfect beauty of them, was gone and they have now turned into many horrendous beasts. They are no more called angels of God anymore, but demons.
We thought that was okay for Satan, but, He went on to target snake, the most subtle beast of God’s creation. He destroyed it too by possessing it, and its state has now changed. First, it used to have legs but now, it is not. The snake as it was originally seen in the Garden of Eden before Satan, the bad sheepherder came on the scene, is no more the same as seen in Genesis 3:14.
We thought that was the end of the destruction of the bad shepherd, but, the images and likenesses of God also became his target of destruction. All the preceding ones, were just the rehearsals for his ultimate massacre.
Man, as perfect as he was, finally, was deceived by Satan. As sinless or perfect as man was, it didn’t occur to Satan that such a mission was impossible. He destroyed man by causing him to fall from the state of perfection, into the state of sin.
Several ways by men were adopted, to overturn the deficit of this great change and destruction, yet all hope was lost until Jesus Christ came on the scene, to atone for our souls, so we can be reverted to our state of perfection, thus back to our Genesis.
The plan of Satan is for people to fall into the state of sin where they are beyond repair. He is constantly doing everything possible to make man move from the state of sin into the state of iniquity. When one gets to the peak of iniquity, except the Lord steps in, lest, no one can change that person.
One typical example of such personalities was Saul, who later became Paul. If it hadn’t been Jesus Christ who stepped into Paul’s life, it would have been very difficult for the sermons of the Apostles to change him. Even Christians of that time were even afraid of him when he was converted, how much more when he was in the world persecuting them?
The good news is that, as you are alive, you can be changed by God through His word, and every state you are in can be reverted, but there is an exception.
Those who will receive the coronavirus vaccine, and the mark of the beast which is the RFID chip, are beyond repair. Their souls are for the devil eternally, even while they live on this earth, and there is nothing God can do about it. God knew such people even before Genesis 1:1. That is why their names were not written in the Book of Life.
Bible Verse: Revelation Chapter 13, Verse Number 8
And I Quote
All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Typical example of people who are beyond salvation, are Satan and his fallen angels. Jesus Christ did not die for angels, but humans only. Satan and his fallen angels have already been judged, and they are awaiting their final punishment as Jude 6 entails.
Bible Verse: Jude 6
And I Quote
And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;
Also, those who follow the lead of Satan, will be destroyed also in the eternal lake of fire by God. Jesus Christ told us something about God as the One who can kill the body, and destroy the soul, too.
Bible Verse: Matthew Chapter 10, Verse Number 28
And I Quote
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. BUT RATHER FEAR HIM WHO IS ABLE TO DESTROY BOTH SOUL AND BODY IN HELL.
Hell is not the eternal place for the destruction of the goats the bad sheepherder has manipulated to his side. There is a higher place than that, and this place is the lake of fire. It is created by God, for the final abode of Satan and his followers.
Bible Verse: Revelation Chapter 20, Verse Number 10
And I Quote
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will BE TORMENTED DAY AND NIGHT FOREVER AND EVER.
David Abankwah 