Good evening, kind friends and brethren, fellow ministers in the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ.
May the blessings of Jesus Christ, the Angel of the Covenant, be upon all of you and also upon me.
For this occasion, let’s read in First Peter, chapter 5, verse 1 to 4, where it says:
“The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”
May God bless our souls with His Word and allow us to understand It.
Our subject is: “THE SHEPHERD OF SHEPHERDS.” “THE SHEPHERD OF SHEPHERDS.”
The Shepherd of shepherds is the Chief, the Head Shepherd, which is our beloved Lord Jesus Christ, who said: “I am the Good Shepherd.”
And now, we find that Christ is the Shepherd of shepherds, the Chief Shepherd, the Head of all shepherds, who said here in Saint John, chapter 10, verse 14 and on:
“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”
And now, since Jesus Christ identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd, and He identifies all those who will hear Him as the sheep given to Him by the Father to give them Eternal Life, notice, also here in Saint John, chapter 10, verse 27 and on, He says:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
I and my Father are one.”
And now, here Christ shows us that the Father’s sheep, given to Him, they hear His Voice, they follow Him, and He gives them Eternal Life.
And now, we have seen that the Chief Shepherd, the Shepherd of shepherds, is Jesus Christ.
And now, just as Christ shepherds His Church as a Mystical Body, and shepherds the members of His Church as sheep… because the Sheepfold is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And now, all those sheep are shepherded by Christ the Good Shepherd. And just as He shepherds those sheep, those people, those believers as individuals… notice what it tells us here in Psalm 80, verse 1 and on; it says:
“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel…”
And now, the Shepherd of Israel, of the whole Hebrew people, of the Hebrew nation, notice, shepherds Israel.
“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.
Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”
And now, here we have a way established by God for Israel to be saved: it’s through the Shepherd of Israel, the One who leads Joseph, the One dwells in the midst of the cherubims, between the cherubims. And the prayer is:
“Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength.”
By this Divine power being stirred up before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, then God returns to save Israel, to restore Israel: “Cause His face to shine, and they shall be saved.”
And now, Ephraim (Joseph’s son) is a type and figure of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ; Benjamin is a type and figure of the 144,000 Hebrews; and Manasseh is a type and figure of Israel.
There we have before whom (in prayer) God is asked to stir up His strength.
And here God will stir up His strength; and this corresponds to the Third Pull: He will stir up His strength before His Bride-Church, before the 144,000 Hebrews, and then before the Hebrew people. And the Hebrew people will say: “This is what we are waiting for!”
And now, let’s see here in Psalm 67… We read Psalm 80, where it says:
“…Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock.”
And now, in 67 it says (verse 4):
“O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.”
And now, God through Christ will judge the nations as Christ Himself says in Saint Matthew, chapter 25, verse 31 to 46; and He will separate the sheep from the goats, and the goats from the sheep; referring to nations, because all nations will be gathered before Him. Before whom? Let’s see: Saint Matthew, chapter 25, verses 31 and on, says:
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory (meaning, on the Throne of David):
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats (and all nations will be judged then).”
And now, all the nations, some are represented in sheep and others are represented in goats.
And now, we can see that what has been moving in the Church of Jesus Christ, where Christ, the Shepherd, the Chief Shepherd, the Shepherd of shepherds, has been shepherding His sheep which the Father gave Him: individuals; now, once He completes His Church, He will govern the nations in that Millennial Kingdom; He will place some as sheep, and the ones He places as goats… Let’s see what the future of the sheep and the future of the goats will be. Verse 34, says:
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
The ones on the right are the sheep, they are nations (sheep) represented in sheep; and the sheep that the Father gave Christ, Christ says, referring to people as individuals: “My sheep hear My Voice and they follow Me.”
And here, nations as sheep, are nations that will hear the Voice of Christ the Good Shepherd, the Shepherd of shepherds, and will follow the Good Shepherd; and therefore, they will come in to form part of that Millennial Kingdom of Christ, where they will be shepherded with all the food that nations need in order to be nations filled with God’s blessings, and to grow in good spiritual health and good physical health as nations.
Now, let’s see what will happen to the other nations. It says [verse 40]:
“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”
And now, look here in Revelation, chapter 19, verse 20 and on, it says:
“And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”
Verse 19, of this 19th chapter, says:
“And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.”
And now notice, these kings, along with their nations and their armies, will have a very sad end: they will be cast into that place that was mentioned here in Saint Matthew, where He said [Matthew 25:41]:
“Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”
The same place that is prepared for the devil is where those nations represented in goats, which didn’t act the way they should have acted, will go.
Notice, also here in Revelation, chapter 20, verse 1 and on, it says:
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”
There we can also see the place that is for the devil, and therefore, for the nations that will be considered goat nations.
Also in chapter 17, verse 11 and on, it says [Revelation]:
“And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”
And now, there we can see that at the end time there will be a showdown; and all the nations and their kings who will turn against Christ… because those nations will be united with the antichrist, with the man of sin; therefore, the antichrist and those nations that will be with him will have a very sad end: they will be cast into the lake of fire, where the devil will be cast into according to Biblical prophecies.
But now let’s look into the glorious future of the nations and also of the individuals represented in sheep, notice what will happen here: the elect, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of past ages, will be living in Israel, and they will be there in a very high position with Christ, because wherever the King is, the Queen must also be there.
In chapter 34 of Ezekiel, verses 23 and on, it says:
“And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.
And I will make with them a covenant of peace.”
And here, anyone who reads this, would say: “David will become the king of Israel again.” So, where does that leave the promise for the Messiah: that He will be the King, that He will sit on the Throne of David? Let’s look a bit further then. Now let’s read Ezekiel 37; verse 22 and on, says:
“And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.
Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.
And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd (Who is that shepherd? The Chief Shepherd, the Shepherd of shepherds).
They shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.”
And now, here it says:
“Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
And (all) the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.”
And now, in this passage it also seems as though David will be King over Israel again, because it says here:
“So shall they be my people, and I will be their God.
And David my servant shall be king over them.”
And further down it says… That’s verse 24. And further down it says [verse 25]:
“And my servant David shall be their prince for ever.”
It’s because God confirmed the Kingdom of God and the Throne of God to David, for David to be king of God’s Kingdom and sit on God’s earthly Throne. But David died; but Solomon is Solomon Ben David: ‘Solomon son of David’; he continues, he bears the title of David. And likewise, every king in Israel bore the title of David, he was a son, a descendent of David.
And that is why, when we are told that God will raise unto David a Branch,[1] that is the Prince Messiah. And therefore, the promise that he will be that Son of David, notice, he is the one who will bear the title of Son of David, the title of King, the title given to all the descendants of David who would be kings; and therefore, each one of those who would occupy the throne, would be king over Israel by Divine decree.
But now, all those reigns of those descendants of David have already passed, and now the Kingdom of David isn’t established on Earth, and the Throne of David isn’t ruling over Israel.
But the promise is that the Son of David, who is the Shepherd of shepherds, the Christ, the Messiah, will sit on the Throne of David and reign over Israel.
That is why, notice, now we find that the Archangel or Angel Gabriel speaks to Joseph, and tells Joseph in chapter 1, verse 21 and on, of Saint Matthew: “Joseph, thou son of David.” That would be: Joseph ben David, because ben means ‘son.’
And now, since Joseph is a descendant of King David through the line of Solomon… And then, Mary, who is a descendant of David through the line of Nathan, the Angel or Archangel Gabriel tells her that she will have a son, and He shall be called Son of God, Son of the Highest, “and the Lord God shall give unto Him the Throne of His father David; and He shall reign over His people, over Israel forever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.”[2]
And now, the one who obtains the title of David or Son of David is that child who will be born. He is The David who will sit on the Throne of David and in the Kingdom of David, and He will take the Kingdom of David and rule over the Hebrew people. He is The David, the David greater than the literal David; and therefore, He is the One who will bear the title of David.
It’s like in the Roman empire: there was an emperor, let’s say, Julius Caesar, and then the others who would come along also had the title of Caesar: “The Caesar,” but they had another name, yet the king’s title, the emperor’s title, was “Caesar.”
That’s why in the days of Jesus, when the Jews hear Pilate saying to them: “What shall I do with your King? Shall I crucify your King?” The religious leaders incite the people and everyone says: “We have no king but Caesar.”[3]
And notice, now they didn’t want King David, The David, but instead the Caesar; they didn’t want the One who had the title of David, but the one who had the title of Caesar, the Caesar. They wanted the Caesar and not The David.
And therefore, because they wanted the Caesar, they had to accept everything relevant to that kingdom of the Caesar, including the religion of the Caesar, the religion of that empire of the Caesar, which is the Babylonian religion, the religion of “the god of forces,” which Daniel speaks about in one of the prophecies.[4]
And now, we have seen why —referring to the Prince Messiah, who will sit on the Throne of David and rule over the Hebrew people and over all the nations, and govern the nations— He calls him: “My servant David.” Why? Because He bears the title of David, of Son of David.
Therefore, He bears the title of David, and He is David, even though His Name is Lord Jesus Christ, yet He is The David who is prophesied to shepherd the Hebrew people and all nations.
Notice, when… Let’s leave that alone there. It was related to the title of Babylonian king and priest, whom Attalus III passed on to Rome, and therefore to the emperor. But let’s leave that alone. Later on, the emperor bore that title as well, and that is why he was king or emperor and also priest, and therefore, he claimed for himself or demanded worship as God.
Now, the title of David: the title of King, a title that by Divine decree has God’s authority to rule over the Hebrew people and over the entire world, over all nations.
That is why in past centuries there were nations and families who mixed their family with descendants of King David: because they wanted an heir to the throne of the nation to which they belonged to be born among them, and —therefore— for him to be a king who would have authority by Divine decree to rule over that nation, over the rest of the nations, and over the Hebrew people; because he would then have the title of David, of son of David.
Now, we find that this is the title that corresponds to Christ; that is why they called Him: “Jesus, Son of David.”[5]
Now, there is a mystery there, because Christ identifies Himself as the Lion of the tribe of Judah and also as the One who has the key of David. Therefore, He is the One who will start that Millennial Kingdom and He is the One who will establish that Millennial Kingdom, because He has the key of David; because He is the heir to that Kingdom and to that Throne, and therefore, He has that title of David or Son of David.
Therefore, the Millennial King or King of the Millennium will not be Jesus the Caesar, but Jesus the Son of David or The David, promised to rule over the Hebrew people and over all the nations, and to shepherd Israel and all nations in every way: spiritually and materially as well; in every aspect of the life of the nations and of individuals as well.
He is the Shepherd of shepherds: our beloved Lord Jesus Christ.
And let’s conclude here, because tomorrow we have an activity in the morning, and we expect great blessings from Jesus Christ our Savior.
“THE SHEPHERD OF SHEPHERDS.”
We have seen that it’s our beloved Lord Jesus Christ, called the Son of David or The David or David. Although His Name is Lord Jesus Christ, He is also prophetically called David.
Let’s read this Scripture here to conclude: chapter 2, verse 25 [First Peter]:
“For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”
And in chapter 7 of Revelation it tells us, verse 14 and on says:
“And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them (Who is the Shepherd? Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God), and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
Here we can see who the Shepherd of shepherds is, the One who will shepherd; just like He spiritually shepherded our souls during the Dispensation of Grace, in the Dispensation of the Kingdom He will physically shepherd all people and all nations, including Israel.
And the Throne of God will be in Israel, and therefore, Jerusalem will be the Capital of the world, and the territory of Israel will be the Federal District; and the Kingdom will cover all the nations.
Christ will rule over all the nations as the Chief Shepherd, the Shepherd of shepherds, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Son of David, the greater David.
“THE SHEPHERD OF SHEPHERDS.”
I leave Reverend Miguel Bermúdez Marín with us again.
While he makes his way here, the introduction to the Millennium is made by the Chief Shepherd: the Seventh Seal.
You can come now Miguel… he always waits for dessert, but this has been the dessert.
So, may God bless you, Miguel, and may He use you greatly in His Work at this end time; and may He also bless all of you greatly; and me as well; and may He allow us to see the introduction to that Millennial Kingdom, and may He allow us to be part of that introduction into the Millennial Kingdom, and allow us to understand and to see the millennial movement. And let’s leave that alone there.
On some occasion, we will continue speaking about these things, and we will see in which age or stage – to which age or stage the millennial movement corresponds.
Just like the movement of the first age, it corresponded to which time and in which age and to which age? To the first age, the Ephesian Age. And so on, the movement and revival for each age corresponds to each age and is carried out in each age.
Later we will see the movement, the revival of the Last Day. The Last Day is the seventh millennium, then we will see which millennium the revival of the Last Day, that is, of the last millennium, corresponds to. And there we will see that that revival will be the millennial movement, for the introduction to that Millennial Kingdom. But we will speak about that on another occasion, when we have more time.
And then we will also see what God is doing and preparing for that very great blessing that He has promised for individuals and for the Hebrew people, and for nations who will enter the Millennial Kingdom of Christ.
Well, let’s have Reverend Miguel Bermúdez Marín here to conclude.
Well, may God continue to bless you all. We will see each other tomorrow, God willing.
“THE SHEPHERD OF SHEPHERDS.”
[1] Jeremiah 23:5, 33:15
[2] Luke 1:26-33
[3] John 19:14-15
[4] Daniel 11:38-39
[5] Matthew 9:27, 20:30; Mark 10:47; Luke 18:38