Earthly shepherds live bountifully but neglect the congregation. 

Ezekiel 34:3

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
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“You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock.” Ezekiel 34:3

In the Old Testament, an animal was slaughtered as a sacrifice to the Lord for various offerings. In particular types of sacrifices, the blood and the fat would be burned in the fire to the Lord. The right shoulder/breast and thigh were given to the priests to eat, and the rest was given to the people to eat. Unfortunately, the priests began to become greedy. When the slaughter of the fatlings was made, the priests began to eat the fat with the meat, keep the wool to make themselves fine clothes, and did not feed the flock with the remainder of the meat.

Today, we know that the Burnt Sacrifice made in the Old Testament represents the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the Cross to atone for sin. He shed His blood as the sacrificial Lamb of God. Today, the Jewish people do not see Jesus as the fatling led to the slaughter to forgive their sin. They do not feed their people with the message that Jesus Christ is the sacrificial Lamb of God who atoned for their sin by dying on the Cross. Instead of clothing their flock with the wool of the Holy Spirit, the Jewish priests clothe themselves in Jewish culture. Instead of sharing the fat/abundance received through Jesus Christ, they withhold it from their flock.

Today, the ministers of the churches have abandoned the Gospel of Jesus Christ as they hack to pieces and slaughter the word of God. No longer do the ministers preach and teach that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who was sacrificed on the Cross to forgive sin. No longer is it heard that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead to demonstrate His power over sin and death to give us eternal life. No longer is it preached that hell is an eternal place of punishment for those who reject Jesus Christ. No longer is it preached and taught that Jesus Christ is coming back. The ministers of the churches are not feeding the flock with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The ministers of the churches of today are eating the fat of worldly abundance that comes to them. They do not have a thought for the need of the congregation to come to God through Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin. The are not working for the spiritual rewards through Jesus Christ but are working for earthly wages/benefits. They clothe themselves in fine worldly clothing but do nothing to shepherd the congregation through the gates of Holiness by the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

John the Baptist preached about the coming of Jesus Christ and the need to repent of sin. John lived in the desert, ate wild honey, and was clothed in camel’s hair. Jesus said this about John, “But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.” Matthew 11:8 Also, “Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Matthew 8:19-20 Jesus says to us, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24

Those who minister over congregations in the churches receive money, possessions, and physical comforts and must feel like kings in soft clothing. They are far from being a John the Baptist and far from denying self and taking up their cross to follow Jesus. They are doing nothing to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are earning their wages for keeping the message of the Cross out of the ears of the congregation. They mention God but discard the need for the remission of sin through Jesus Christ. God is a Trinity, so wherever God is mentioned the name of Jesus will be glorified and the Holy Spirit will be there as well. Those three are one. To mention God without recognizing Jesus and the Holy Spirit is to serve a false god.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11